Taking in a Tiger
by Sakura245
Summary: Dazai is sent to an orphanage to search for Port Mafia activity. While his is there, he finds a small child who seems a bit out of the ordinary.
1. Cage

**I do not own _Bungou Stray Dogs._ (This goes for my whole fanfic here because I'm very forgetful)**

Dazai glanced up at the dark clouds. _So gloomy..._ He thought as misty rain dampened his hair. This kind of weather made him want to jump in a river, even though he normally would have done that on a perfectly clear day. He sighed. _The president couldn't have sent anyone else on this job?_

There were members better suited for this kind of job.

Well, maybe not. As far as Dazai knew, he was the only former Port Mafia member within the Agency, but everyone else had experience with dealing with the Mafia. Therefore, as far as Dazai was concerned, he should have been allowed to eat strange mushrooms and mess with Kunikida. He sighed as he looked back to the orphanage, feeling the utter pointlessness of this entire job. _As if the Mafia has agents here._ He sighed, it was best to get it over with now.

…

He did not doubt his earlier prediction. The orphanage was by no means a Port Mafia hideout. As he figured earlier, too far from Yokohama for them to be stationed. That didn't mean something wasn't off in that orphanage. It was always possible that the Mafia would take children from there. Dazai was well aware that the use of children wasn't beyond them, but based on his quick peek at the records he could conclude that wasn't the case.

Despite all of that, something was almost indescribably off. The man who had been sent to give him a tour gave him bad vibes. Maybe it was the gloomy feeling in the atmosphere that hung in the air like smoke. All the children murmured among themselves, for visitors must have been rare. Dazai's eyes glanced at their faces. Hungry. Dirty. Sad. He sighed internally, the sooner he got out, the better. He knew enough about orphanages to know that they weren't the happiest of places

Suddenly, a scream tore through the mutters of children. Dazai froze and turned. He stared down the hallway. _That's not good!_ Ignoring the children's stares and his guide's dismayed calls, he took off in the direction of the cry.

He came to a solid door, and opened it without hesitation.

There were very few things that could make Dazai feel sick, the awful thing he saw and the cries he heard were enough to make his stomach flip. A cage sat in the very back of the room. He would barely describe it as fit for an animal to live in. In the cage was a small child with grayish white hair that hung limply over his eyes.

The child backed away when Dazai approached and lowered himself to get a better look. There were shackles on his wrists and ankles that kept him tethered to the back wall. "Hey," Dazai said gently as he slowly reached through the bars. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." The kid only pressed himself against the wall, whimpering. At this point, Dazai withdrew his hand, scaring the child wouldn't do anything to free him.

He rose from the floor, dusting himself off. He hid his disgust because the kid didn't need to think that Dazai was appalled by his very existence. Judging by the conditions he was living in, he'd already had to deal with that enough. _Even the Port Mafia wasn't this aweful._ He thought.

"Sir," his guide from earlier called in a blunt, hard voice. "This room is off limits to visitors. So, if you could exit over here." He gestured to the door. Dazai gave his signature smile, a smile that several thoughts lurked behind.

"Of course," he responded just as politely, his voice as cheery as it normally was. "And I would like to have a talk with you."

The man gave a single, slow nod.

"I would like to inquire about the child in that room," Dazai began after the two of them sat down in the office.

There was an unreasonably long stretch of silence before Dazai got his answer. "Atsushi needed some time by himself," the man responded dully. Dazai gave a skeptical look. "He isn't like the other children."

"So, that's reason to lock him in a cage and treat him like an animal?" The ability user questioned calmly. Freaking out was entirely against his nature. Keeping calm, speaking normally, and acting like nothing was wrong was always his go to strategy.

"There's other reasons for his imprisonment."

"Such as?"

"Nothing that concerns you, Sir," he said, the gleam in his eye enough to make a normal man fear for his life. However, Dazai was _not_ a normal man. He tilted his head a few degrees into a slightly intimidating look. A full minute of silence passed. "Sir," the man began. "I'm going to ask you to leave."

Dazai smirked slightly as though he hated the situation, but would respect the headmaster's rules and requests. (He wouldn't really, of course, but he could act like he would.) The member of the Armed Detective Agency threw a hint of defeat into his voice to sound convincing. "Seeing as how there's nothing I can do to change your mind or anything, I'll be on my way." He rose from his seat, gave one last unhappy look, then paused as though as he just thought of something. "What if I adopted him?"

"I'm afraid that would not be possible, not in a matter of minutes at least." He put his hands on the desk. "Adoption requires months, possibly years, of background checks, interviews, and child care courses."

Dazai sighed disappointedly. "I'll take my leave then," he muttered, leaving the room. The second he was out of the office, he silently dashed back to the room with the caged child. Hopefully the headmaster would assume that he left.

He glanced behind him when he entered. The child whimpered when the ability user approached him. "Calm down," Dazai said quietly as he got closer. "Everything's fine." He crouched beside the cage again, fiddling with the lock, until it popped off. The cage door swung open, and the boy immediately shuffled backwards, chains dragging and jingling. Dazai grabbed one of the boy's chains, murmuring some soothing words when the kid struggled.

He frowned, observing the links. He was pretty strong, but the chain were thick. Breaking it wouldn't be that easy. He had a hairpin hidden in his hair, specifically for picking locks, but that would probably take time, a luxury he didn't have. It was quiet enough, and it would probably wouldn't scare the child as much as breaking the chains. Dazai exhaled a long sigh as he pulled out the pin. Best to get work on it now.

The boy calmed down eventually when he figured out that Dazai wouldn't cause him harm. The ability user could sense the child's questioning gaze on him as he worked at the shackles.

One lock after the other. It took him a few minutes total, which didn't seem very long, but the headmaster could come in at any second. "Come on," Dazai said as the child crawled toward him. He lifted the boy up and carried him out the door.

"I knew you weren't leaving," a voice said from behind them. The kid cowered, clinging closer to Dazai. "Leave Atsushi or I'll call the police." The headmaster wasn't kidding, but neither was Dazai. Instead of running or leaving the kid like a normal person, he smirked and shifted the child to his side. He pulled his ID card from his coat pocket.

"I'm with the Armed Detective Agency. I came to investigate Port Mafia activities within this orphanage." He smiled fully now, putting together a reason. "Not that we can be sure right now, but based on the fact that I found him chained to a wall and caged gives me reason enough to take him in."

"You don't know what you're dealing with," the headmaster of the orphanage said grimly. "He's not normal. He's dangerous."

Atsushi trembled slightly and Dazai looked straight into the man's eyes, stifling a laugh. "I may not look like much, but I think I can handle a child."

 **So, that's the first chapter... Hope people liked it. Please review!**


	2. Ride Home

**Hello!**

 **... I normally have more to say in the beginning... ( In** ** _Freezing Darkness_** **I usually write a bunch of stuff before I start the story)**

 **... *Shrug* Maybe I'll have something important to tell everyone after the chapter. So, here's the second chapter. Enjoy!**

Atsushi fell asleep against Dazai on the way back to Yokohama. The ability user looked out the train window as the evening sky and silhouettes of trees and houses passed by. Dazai glanced back at Atsushi, who rested curled up against him. Part of him had predicted the he'd look out the window for a while, too excited by the thrill of adventure to sleep. It looked like his sheer exhaustion took over. The child stirred as the train rattled a bit, and Dazai put a hand against his head, soothing him back into sleep.

He'd known exactly what he was doing when he took Atsushi. Taking the child into the Armed Detective Agency's custody was not one of those spur of the moment kind of things. It had been a calculated move, similar to every strategic advance he'd ever made. Part of it resulted from a simple curiosity for why Atsushi had been shackled and caged. Why was he different? Why was he dangerous? The other part was the need to pull him out, to give him a fighting chance. He was just a child, after all. Whatever he'd done could not have merited such a punishment.

His plan wasn't difficult at all. He would simply explain Atsushi's treatment in the orphanage and that would raise enough questions to get his records and hopefully get him relocated to a more humane environment.

 _Well, in any case,_ Dazai thought as he pulled a book from a hidden pocket in his coat. _There's nothing I can do until we get back to the Agency_.

About four hours rolled by before the voice on the loudspeaker announced that they would be reaching Yokohama in less than five minutes. Dazai lifted his head from his book, eyes slightly tired from reading for so long. Atsushi's head still rest against Dazai's side.

He gently scooped the child from the seat. Atsushi moaned slightly, but was otherwise quiet. _I wonder if he's mute._ Dazai thought as Atsushi blinked tiredly. Looking back, in all of the six or seven hours he'd spent with Atsushi in that day, the child had never spoken. He had only whimpered. He thought a little more about it and shrugged. _Probably trauma._

"You can go back to sleep," Dazai said when he saw Atsushi's wide eyed, yellow and purple gaze taking in his surroundings. "We have some time before we make it to the Agency." Atsushi's eyes remained open.

When Dazai said _some time,_ he meant about ten minutes. It wasn't a long walk to the agency, but really Atsushi most likely needed his sleep, every minute he could get. It wasn't as though he'd be unable to sleep in the next morning, but a kid his age shouldn't be up so late. Dazai sighed as he walked. _Oh, well. This way he doesn't get rudely awaken by fluorescent lights and Kunikida's yelling._

Dazai wondered if Atsushi would rather walk on his own, but he seemed comfortable where he was. Besides, he'd walked a portion of the way to the train station and that had probably been a work out for his little legs. Chances were good that they were sore at this point.

"Okay," Dazai began as he climbed up the stairs to the Agency office. "It might get kind of loud." He paused for a long moment before looking back at Atsushi. "Actually… It _will_ get loud." He walked up a few more steps. "They're kind of crazy, but there are worse people to live with." He stopped just shy of the door with his hand on the knob. "Are you ready?" Atsushi blinked, which was enough confirmation for Dazai.

He threw the door open. "Good evening, everyone!" All eyes turned to him. A beat passed. Then came the bombardment of questions and comments came.

"Where did the kid come from?"

"What did you do?"

"I knew this would happen eventually."

"Dazai, you idiot!"

"What happened?"

Atsushi flinched from surprise and Dazai shifted his hold on him. "Look," he said over the noise. "I'll answer everything in a little bit." He walked to Doctor Yosano. "Doctor, can you give him a check up?" Dazai asked as he handed the child to the woman. She held him on her hip like she was holding a toddler or infant. Akiko smiled slightly and gently pinched one of his cheeks.

Dazai frowned and covered the boy's ears with his palms. "No dissections," he ordered with a low voice. "Just a standard exam. Make sure he's not infected with diseases, check for medical issues, or fractures. That's it."

Doctor Yosano clicked her tongue impatiently. "Don't tell me how to do my job. It's not as though you can name every muscle in the human body." She shifted, taking Atsushi with her to the infirmary. The child looked back, weary to be passed on to a different person, especially one with such an… unsettling aura. Dazai looked back at him, making an expression that said that everything would be fine.

Dazai exhaled heavily. _That woman…_ He thought. _Sometimes I don't think she's totally sane._ Despite his questions about her sanity, he could tell by the way she looked down at Atsushi, she wouldn't cut him open. Not this time at least…

A heavy hit landed on Dazai's shoulder. He'd expected that.

"Why don't you tell us what's going on, Dazai?"

Dazai smiled his signature smile that gave nothing away. "Let me start from the beginning then, Kunikida."

 **Okay! I'm back!**

 **Thank you everyone who reviewed. This story got more reviews than I expected and it really means a lot that people comment on it! So, special thanks to Guest, Guest, EvilMindedZ, YolkyGoblin, and Chiharu Himeji! You guys are the best!**

 **Also, random thought, Atsushi as a tiger** ** _cub..._** **Who else thinks we should get this in the anime?!**

 **Bye!**


	3. Tiger

**Responses**

 **Chiharu Himeji ... Thanks for the encouragement!**

 **YolkyGoblin ... Thanks! Atsushi is between 5 and 8 years old. I tend to be very loose with ages in my writing. I prefer ranges... It's possible that I'll give him a set age in later chapters.**

 **Guest ... Thanks! And, yes, his self confidence will change, he just needs some time... and happiness. Detective Family makes it all better!**

 **EvilMindedZ ... Yes, I know kids. How do you think I would survive so long at work or in the church nursery if I didn't? (Also, one of them really missed me because I was gone for two days. Kept hugging me... Definitely one of my favorites!) Plus, why would I plan to be a midwife if I didn't like kids? (Sorry... mini rant) Glad I was able to make you laugh! (You still haven't gotten me to cry. I'm hard as steel thanks to sad anime =P) Also... We still should just binge all of** ** _Bungou Stray Dogs_** **and** ** _Nanbaka_** **and you still have to finish** ** _Attack on Titan._** **Just throwing that out there.**

 **Guest ... The tiger cub thing is still a bit uncertain. I would really want to make him a cub because that would be one of the cutest things I could do with a fanfic like this, but I kind of figured that he would be a full grown tiger... Hey, it's totally possible that he'll show up as a cub.**

 **Anna ... Here's the update!**

 **Hello again! So, I wrote a new chapter... Honestly, this fanfiction is really fun to write, but I feel like it's drawing upon the energy that I use to write a novel... Let's hope I get more energy. Enjoy!**

"That's about it," Dazai concluded, shrugging. All eyes were cast on him. "Also," he added, leaning against a desk and glancing at Kunikida, whose eyes made it clear that he had more interest in the Port Mafia's operations in the orphanage. "The Port Mafia doesn't have any any occupation there."

"Then why did you bring the child back?!" Kunikida responded angrily, grabbing Dazai by his shirt.

"I already told you," the suicide fanatic responded calmly as his partner tugged on his shirt's collar. "When a child is in a cage for no reason, I tend to do something." Dazai pressed his lips together. "You really need to stop being so angry, Kunikida. It'll accelerate aging." He paused before whisper. "Write this down."

As Kunikida hurriedly scribbled down notes, Dazai looked back to the people asking questions. "What were you planning on doing with him?" Tanizaki Junichirou asked.

Dazai shrugged again. "My first idea was to get Atsushi transferred to a different orphanage. After the abuse gets reported, the government will have to investigate the place and shut it down." The child's body would be evidence of abuse, there was sure to be bruising, fractures, and scars all over.

"We aren't a philanthropist organization!" Kunikida yelled. "What made you think this was a good idea?"

Dazai smirked in response. "Guess you could say it was an impulse." He paused, pushing himself off of the desk. "It's not like he'll be here long. Besides, he gets a better life, he's in a safe place, the Mafia's less likely to get to him." He smiled fully. "When you think about it that way, I did my job."

"He doesn't have any injuries," the doctor said when she came back into the main office with Atsushi.

"What?" Dazai responded, surprised, an emotion that he rarely felt. "What do you mean he has no injuries? That's impossible." He quickly walked over to the child and lifted up the hem his shirt, searching for bruises or something that would point to a beating. There was nothing, no old scars, no fresh cuts, no contusions. "How?" He muttered, releasing the shirt. Atsushi looked at him quizzically, and Dazai ruffled his hair, not sure what else to do.

"He was in a _cage,_ Doctor," he said. "There's no way he doesn't have an injury or something. I know what I saw."

"I don't know what else to tell you. He got an X-ray, I took his vitals, basic 's some malnourishment, but in a place like his orphanage, that would be common."

Dazai frowned and took Atsushi's hand, observing the wrist. He knew that he'd seen raw marks when he'd removed the shackles. _Something's off. The headmaster wasn't wrong when he said that he wasn't normal. Could he be an ability user?_ That seemed like the most likely answer. "He could be an ability user," Dazai suggested.

That statement sparked interest among the Armed Detective Agency members. All eyes turned to the boy, waiting for some kind of proof of an ability. "Ha!" Dazai exclaimed. "And _that_ gave us reason enough to keep him here!"

Kunikida groaned. "We're a detective agency. What makes you think having a brat around would be a good idea?"

"We put up with Dazai, and he's basically a child on the inside," Kenji chimed in, earning him a light glare from Dazai.

"Accurate," Kunikida replied.

Dazai made a face. "You guys are mean," he murmured as he put a hand to Atsushi's back, urging him to move. "It's late. Time for bed." When he received a few raised eyebrows, he explained a little further. "I have a spare futon, there's enough space. In any case, it would be safer if someone who can cancel out abilities was near by."

Dazai hadn't been sleeping when it happened. He was restless and he'd always been a night owl.

It all started with winding ribbons of blue light. Kanji swirled around the child, engulfing him. His body glowed like an ember in a fire. The child writhed as his fangs grew in place of his teeth and his eyes shone a sapphire color.

Dazai stiffened, watching the transformation. It looked painful. Dazai waited… Did Atsushi even know what was happening? Probably not. Several seconds passed with the child looking like he was on fire.

A glowing white tiger stood where Atsushi had slept. "Huh," Dazai said when he heard the low pitched, dangerous growling and the big cat began to charge at him.

 **Sorry if this chapter was boring. I felt like I had to write out what the Agency is planning on doing with him. I'll admit that that last few paragraphs were a bit thrown together, but I was trying to figure what to do and watching** ** _Scrubs_** **. So, the next chapter will have some more to it... Hopefully... We'll see what happens.**

 **Thank you for all the support! You guys are great! Please Review!**


	4. You'll Become One of Us

**Hi! I'm back! I've had quite a good time lately. Sat around, fell in love with** ** _Over the Garden Wall,_** **drank tea, put up with writer's block, experienced death of my soul by chlorine, that kind of thing. Sorry for taking so long in posting this chapter. Thank you for all the reviews! Just to answer a question: Yes, Atsushi will still have the bounty on his head. Anyway... Enjoy!**

"I must admit," Dazai began, dodging Atsushi's claw. "I didn't think you'd be something like this." Atsushi lunged at him and Dazai ducked another blow even though his didn't really need to. If the tiger landed a hit, he'd turn back to a child thanks to _No Longer Human._ Dazai was simply trying to gauge his power.

He was strong, and his speed could have matched Chuuya's. _Not bad._ He thought as he sidestepped the tiger. They went on like this for a few more minutes, Dazai gathered what he could from the way Atsushi attacked. "This has gone on long enough," he stated when he noticed that fighting a tiger in his small dorm unit would create a quite a large mess to clean up. Dazai stood still as the glowing tiger attacked and stretched out a hand.

The second he made contact, ribbons of sapphire kanji wove around Atsushi.

The tiger transformed.

Atsushi fell against Dazai's leg, weakened and exhausted. Dazai smiled slightly as he picked up the child. He'd be able to reside in the Agency with an ability like that. Some sense of victory rose inside of him.

Atsushi stirred, and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "What happened?" He asked in a soft voice.

 _He actually talked._ Dazai thought with some degree of surprise at discovering that Atsushi was not really mute. _Must have just been fear or trauma._ He concluded mentally. "Don't worry," Dazai said, taking him back to the spare futon. "You were just sleep walking."

Atsushi looked around, his wide eyed gaze taking in the mess of the dorm unit. "But-" he began.

"It was always this messy," he responded quickly. "You were really sleepy when I brought you here, so you probably just forgot what everything looked like." Atsushi frowned slightly, but decided that he believed what Dazai said in the end.

"Is that why they always chained me? Because of sleepwalking?" Atsushi asked innocently.

Dazai inhaled before answering the question, and Atsushi flinched as if he'd angered Dazai by asking. "Maybe," Dazai responded quietly. "I'm not sure. I don't know why they would do something like that." The man set the child down on the spare futon and ruffled his hair. "Sometimes there are bad people, but they'll never get you again." Atsushi stared back at him, his face several times more serious than it should have been at his age.

"Promise?" He asked, extending his hand and sticking out his pinky finger.

Dazai held out his hand and linked pinkies with Atsushi. "Promise." A pause. "You'll become one of us." Atsushi nodded, though based on his expression, he didn't entirely understand. _He doesn't have to understand yet._ Dazai thought. _He's not ready, not yet. Not for another few years. We'll protect him until he can take the Agency's test and learn how to control his ability._

"Go to sleep, okay?" Dazai said, pulling the covers up to Atsushi's chest. "You've had a long day, child." Atsushi nodded again and sank further into the futon. "Good," he murmured before he returned to his own bed. "Good night," he said quietly.

"Good night," Atsushi replied, his voice barely more than a whisper.

 _Don't react. He turns into a tiger._ Dazai wrote on a slip of paper. _Can't say for sure when it happens, but I'd predict at night._ He glanced back at Atsushi, who still slept soundly. _Healing is probably due to his ability._ He paused, drawing his pen back and taking in a deep breath before writing one last, crucial detail. _He's not ready. Keep it secret for now._ He pressed his lips together before adding. _Tell everyone at the agency, I'll explain more when I get the chance, but it would be best for me to stay with Atsushi until we know more._ Dazai folded the paper in half, he would pass it to Kunikida when he got a chance.

His colleague would have to inform the agency. They couldn't talk about Atsushi's ability with him around. Dazai glanced at the curtained window. Sunlight would stream into the room within an hour or so. For now, he couldn't leave Atsushi anywhere, not until he had a chance to fully observe the limits and stimuli to his powers.

The boy wasn't ready to know about his powers. Not yet. He was a child, too innocent and completely unready to understand the magnitude of his ability.

Atsushi kicked slightly in his sleep, squirming around as he began to wake up. Dazai pulled his coat on and slipped the paper into the pocket. "How did you sleep?" He asked when the sound of Atsushi shifting under the blankets implied that he was sitting up.

"Good, Sir," Atsushi responded quietly.

Dazai turned around to see Atsushi rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Don't call me 'Sir,'" he said as he came over to the futon. "I don't think we were properly introduced." He held out his hand, shaking off the fact that Atsushi tensed at the extended hand before him. "My name is Dazai Osamu."

Atsushi glanced at Dazai before shaking his hand. Based on his reaction, he had a few trust issues that he couldn't easily leave behind. "I'm Atsushi," he said.

 _Just Atsushi, huh?_ Dazai thought. It didn't matter too much if the child didn't want to give Dazai his full name, for in a matter of days, the agency would get his records. That would help, to an extent at least.

"I'm going to make some breakfast," Dazai said, standing up. He was about to tell Atsushi to get dressed, but immediately remembered that they had never gotten a change of clothes for him. It had been past 9pm when they had returned to the agency, so they never really got an opportunity. _Guess that's on the to do list for today._

"Hey, Atsushi," he began as Dazai locked the door behind him. Atsushi looked up at him. "What do you remember from last night?"

The child frowned. "You told me that I was sleepwalking and promised that bad people wouldn't hurt me." He said it all so simply, so easily. "And then we pinky promised," he added, holding up his little finger.

"Yes," Dazai said, moving forward with Atsushi a few feet behind him. "I remember. I mean did you remember anything while you were sleepwalking? Did you have a nightmare or anything?" Atsushi shook his head. He glanced back at the child and held his hand behind him, which the child instantly gripped with his thin fingers.

"Where are we going?"

"Town." Dazai suddenly saw Kunikida making his way to the office. "Kunikida," he called, waving with his unoccupied hand. His partner threw him a serious look, and glanced at Atsushi, who held onto Dazai's hand.

"Skipping out on work today again, Dazai?"

Dazai doubled over and pressed a hand to his chest melodramatically. "I am shocked and appalled that that is your opinion of me!" He gestured to Atsushi. "Don't verbally abuse me in front of Atsushi." Kunikida's normally straight face deppened into a frown, but he said nothing. "Oh!" Dazai said, reaching into his pocket and handing over the paper. His partner read it, raising his eyebrows and glanced at the child. "See you later," Dazai concluded.

After a few minutes, Atsushi asked another question. "What did you give him?"

Dazai shrugged. "A note, that's it."

 **Oh! Potatoes and molasses! (Still thinking about OTGW...) Just today I thought about how much I love chapter titles. The chapters will now be titled. =P So, please review. I love everyone's support!**

 **See ya!**


	5. Shopping

**Hi! I'm back! Did this chapter take me awhile? I think it took me awhile... So, anyway... Here it is. Enjoy!**

"Dazai?" Atsushi said in a soft voice. Dazai had come to know that Atsushi's voice was normally very quiet. It was probably a result of his past.

"Hmm?" Dazai responded.

"What did you mean when you said I might be an ability user?"

Dazai kept walking with Atsushi's hand gripping his. His mind flashed back to the moment that he suggested Atsushi had an ability. The child wasn't supposed to know so soon. He'd have to hold off on giving him an answer. "Atsushi," Dazai responded. "Do you know what an ability user is and what they do?" Atsushi shook his head. _Good. He's not ready yet…_ "Well, you see, ability users can do different things... Like magic."

"I can do that too?!" His eyes were lit with amazement.

Dazai shrugged as though he didn't know much for sure. "It's possible. You show potential."

Atsushi tugged on Dazai's hand. "Are you an ability user?" He asked.

"Yes, I can cancel out other people's abilities," he answered. _Yours last night, for example._ He added silently. Atsushi gave him a questioning, nearly skeptical, look. "Don't give me that look," he reprimanded the child gently. "It's a very useful ability."

Dazai knew they must have been getting a few strange looks as they walked down the street. They were a strange site after all. A child in rags and a man in a long coat with bandages up his arms. The stares they attracted didn't matter, of course. Once Dazai could buy Atsushi some new clothes, he wouldn't look so out of place.

When he thought about it, in some strange way, the child next to him reminded him of Akutagawa. Not in the way he acted, but there was a certain look in his eyes. A hunger. Of course, there were some differences and the similarities would be too hard for any normal people to see. Dazai could see it. As soon as he realized what he was thinking, he snapped out of it.

He could not think back to Akutagawa. The boy he trained all those years ago had grown up and climbed the ranks of the Port Mafia. Dazai had few regrets regarding his former apprentice's training. Perhaps he felt some guilt over it since he'd taken Atsushi in. That was it. He simply had a slight guilty feeling since he'd been a tough, abusive teacher.

"Okay," he said, finally pushing the memories of Akutagawa away and looking down at Atsushi. "We're going to get some clothes," he said as they walked into a store. He paused as he realized that he didn't have much experience with buying clothes for a very young ability user. He glanced around the overly colorful store where children ran around and their parents had to chase them down and coax them into trying on clothes. "Find something you like," he prompted, feeling that Atsushi could find clothes that he liked on his own.

The child didn't race off to find something new to wear. He kept a tight hold on Dazai's hand, as tight a hold as a slightly malnourished child could keep anyway. He didn't let go of Dazai's hand when he stepped forward to survey the clothes.

After a half hour of Atsushi seeming indifferent to every outfit he looked at, save a T-shirt with a tiger on it and another with a chameleon, Dazai gave up and took matters into his own hands. He bought whatever was in Atsushi's estimated size and whatever looked like it wouldn't be too bright and clash with other colors. So, Atushi's new wardrobe consisted of a few black, some khaki pants, two pairs of jeans, a handful of white shirts, a chameleon T-shirt, and a tiger T-shirt. Atsushi left the store in his tiger shirt and jeans.

"Are tigers your favorite animal?" Dazai asked when they left.

"Yes, but I like chameleons too," Atsushi stated, obviously very happy with the tiger on his shirt.

"Hmmm…" Dazai didn't see how chameleons were relative to Atsushi's ability, but that didn't matter. "Atsushi," Dazai began. "How old are you?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know," he said, not sounding like he really cared.

"You don't know?"

Atsushi shook his head. "They never told me."

"Huh." Dazai figured that age wouldn't be too important to a child who was trying to stay alive in such an awful place. He dismissed the issue, they'd know more once they had Atsushi's records.

 **Sorry if this was a boring chapter. I have more in mind for future chapters and... yeah... I'm open to suggestions for future fluffy chapters! Please Review!**


	6. Nightmare

**Hello! So, I feel like it's been a really long time. Let me explain real quick, I went on a mission trip to Mexico for a week, and we weren't supposed to bring electronics. I think this was good for me as a writer, I came up with a heck of a lot of story ideas. The trip itself was also incredible! Mexico was gorgeous and God is good!**

 **Currently, I am without a computer, so I typed half of this on my phone... Didn't even know it was possible until today when I got all moody and agitated from lack of writing... Originally, I planned to post this chapter and a bunch of chapters for different fanfics in one night, but... Let's just say life's been busy and I got a case of writers' block. Anyway... Enjoy!**

"You look like you haven't slept in weeks," Ranpo stated casually when he saw Dazai and Atsushi one morning. He was partially right. They both appeared tired and dead to the world.

Dazai ran a hand through his hair, which still looked great since he was Dazai. "Last night," he began. "Was a bit harder than others."

...

It had been a week since Atsushi had began to live with Dazai. In that week, Dazai had learned five things.

Atsushi's favorite food was tea on rice

He preferred picture books with animals in them

He could read short, simple words

Atsushi would eat pretty much anything Dazai offered

The child got nightmares nearly every night

Aside from the tiger transformation that first night, and another a few nights later, most nights were riddled with whimpers and thrashing. The bad dreams were never enough to wake Atsushi, and Dazai often saw no reason to pull the boy from his sleep if a nightmare didn't first.

He'd have fits of crying or whimpering in his sleep. Dazai normally heard them when he was up late reading or finishing work that he'd procrastinated on. As far as he knew, the nightmares also came even later at night when he was sleeping.

The previous night had started like any other. Dazai informed Atsushi that it was time to call it a night, Atsushi responded by getting into pajamas and brushing his teeth and going to bed. Dazai stayed up reading for a few hours and Atsushi slept relatively peacefully, which was a welcomed change.

Eventually, Dazai decided that it was time to go to bed himself. It was late, and he had to return to work tomorrow… Kunikida was beginning to get on his back about slacking off, even if he was taking care of Atsushi. I'll have to figure out how to keep him entertained while I'm working. He shrugged to himself as pulled the covers up to his chest. Shouldn't be too hard. He's normally quiet as a mouse.

It didn't take him long to fall asleep, and Atsushi was peaceful for the moment. So, the night was shaping up to be a good night.

Dazai awoke to something heavy on his arm. He blinked, his eyes adjusting to the dark. He could see a small head of white hair resting against his arm. "Atsushi?" He muttered, careful not to move too much.

"Mmmmm…" Atsushi responded incoherently.

A moment of silence passed before Dazai said anything. "Another nightmare?" Atsushi nodded against Dazai's arm. He sighed. How was he supposed to tell Atsushi to go back to his futon?

The child's fingers dug into Dazai's arm, not hard enough to hurt at all, but enough to make him reconsider his first plan. "Please, can I stay here? Please…" Atsushi's voice was slighter than normal, which didn't seem possible.

Dazai released a breath. Why not? He thought. "Just for tonight," he said, making his voice sound stern. Atsushi nodded again. "Alright," he concluded. "Good night."

"Night."

An hour or two passed. Dazai didnt have the easiest time going back to sleep after Atsushi had woken him. He finally managed to sleep after a little while, adjusting to the weight of the child's head on his arm.

Suddenly, Atsushi thrashed around, screaming. "Atsushi! Atsushi!" Dazai tried to sooth. "You're fine. Everything's okay." Normally, Dazai could manipulate any situation he was in, but a screaming child was a bit harder to control than a shoot out.

Dazai stood up and held Atsushi. The child squirmed, still trapped in a nightmare. "Calm down," he muttered as he walked around his apartment and shook the boy gently to wake him. The child's cries quieted. He cried against Dazai's shoulder, dampening his shirt. "Okay," he murmured, making his way to the light switch.

"It was that bad, huh?" He said as the lights came on.

"Yeah…"

Dazai released a breath. Atsushi bit his lip. He wouldn't go down for a little bit, Dazai sensed that much based on the way Atsushi clung to him. "How about you drink some warm milk and try to go back to bed?"

Atsushi looked a bit skeptical, but he nodded.

After drinking a cup of milk, he didn't seem to have any change. He was just as awake and frightened as he was earlier.

An hour passed, and in that hour, Dazai had gotten Atsushi to lay down and try to sleep, drink more warm milk, drink chamomile tea, go to the bathroom, read a picture book, and count as high as he could. All that, every other trick Dazai knew for falling asleep, and Atsushi was still awake.

Well, Dazai thought as he watched Atsushi flip through a picture book. There is no way he's going down now… Unless I sedate him...He shook off that idea.

"You're still not tired, are you?" He asked, falling down into a cross legged position.

"No."

Dazai breathed a laugh, an almost pained or tired laugh. "Okay… I suppose then we'll be staying up for the rest of the night." He couldn't leave Atsushi to stay up all night on his own. Too many things could go wrong.

Pulling an all-nighter now would likely result with him sleeping at his desk for a few hours at work the next day, but it's not like that would be very different from his normal work routine.

So, all that night, they snacked on whatever was in the house, read books, watched whatever was child appropriate on TV, and generally sat around.

Sure enough, they were they were both dead eyed and less than coherent that next morning.

 **So... yeah... I figured that Atsushi would have nightmares normally and I see Dazai ad one to let them pass until they get out of hand. Umm... If there are any suggestions for future chapters, they would be greatly appreciated! Speaking of which, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the encouraging reviews! Keep them coming! =)**

 **I have so much planned for future chapters, and I'm really excited to write them up!**

 **¡Hasta luego!**


	7. Meetings and Milestones

**Hi, guys! So, I've had some writing time. It's been great. I've had so much time partly because my little sister has been gone for the last few weeks... Kind of lonely... So, I had some difficulty writing this, but it's out here now. So, here it is. Enjoy!**

"I _promise_ I'll be back after work, okay?" Dazai said as he tried to pry Atsushi off of his leg. He sighed. "Naomi, would you mind helping me?" Dazai asked.

Naomi attempted to pull Atsushi off of Dazai, and eventually succeeded, which didn't leave Atsushi very happy. He didn't fight or writhe in her arms, he just stared at Dazai. He stared at him with big, dejected eyes. The teenager held Atsushi at her hip and aside from his dismay at Dazai leaving, he didn't seem uncomfortable or adverse to her. Dazai released a breath and smiled slightly. "Hey, come on," he began, leaning down so he could be at eye level with the child. He stared back with narrowed eyes. "Atsushi, stop looking at me like I'm betraying you. I just have to go to work."

"You let me stay last time," the child argued, which was fairly new for him since he almost never put up a fight.

"Yeah, but this time, only grown-ups are allowed. And it'll be a really boring meeting, you would hate it," Dazai reasoned. Atsushi didn't look convinced. "I'll pick you up later, okay?"

"Okay…"

Dazai released a small laugh. "That a boy," he muttered, ruffling Atsushi's hair. "Naomi's really nice. You can play until I get back."

Atsushi frowned. "Promise you're coming back," he said. It wasn't a question, it was a request. Dazai glanced at Naomi's face and could practically see hearts in her eyes.

Dazai extended his pinkie. "Yes, I promise I'll come back." Atsushi hooked his little finger around Dazai's. His eyes were still doubting, even a bit resigned. "Hey," Dazai said calmly as the boy released his finger. "Look, I'll _always_ come back. Trust me." He backed away through the door. "Bye."

Dazai released a large breath from his mouth as soon as the door closed behind him. _Milestone reached_. He thought.

"Hi, Dazai!" Kenji called. "It's been awhile since we've seen you without Atsushi trailing behind you." His statement was very true. When Dazai had come back to the Agency two days ago, Atsushi sat in a chair next to his at the desk, drawing on a few sheets of scrap paper the entire time.

The only reason he didn't have Atsushi with him now was because this work day would be different. It was time to actually get in touch with his colleagues and discuss Atsushi's ability.

"It's time you elaborated," Kunikida began, his arms crossed. "Would you mind explaining what that child's capable of?"

Dazai smirked as all eyes were on him. "Well, I didn't prepare a powerpoint or anything, but I have a decent idea." He explained how Atsushi transformed into a tiger some nights, how he had absolutely no memory of doing it, the power his tiger form had, and Atsushi's potential future within the agency.

"How long do you plan to keep this a secret from him?" Ranpo asked, his words muffled by a lollipop in his mouth. His attitude and appearance gave off a very calm, carefree vibe, entirely obscuring the fact that he was really a genius. "I mean, how long can he really go without putting two and two together?"

Dazai glanced at him seriously. "I'll hide the fact from him however long it needs to be hidden." A pause. "He's anywhere between five and eight years old, he's far from ready to know about what he turns into."

"And you mentioned that his ability heals his wounds in a shorter time frame?" Doctor Yosano inquired. Dazai nodded. The doctor's spark of interest immediately faded. "How boring," she muttered more to herself than to anyone else.

"How are we doing on the Agency officially adopting him?" Dazai asked Kunikida. "Have we got his records yet?"

His partner shook his head. "The President has connections, so it's all a work in progress. It may take a few months."

Dazai groaned. "Seriously? Months?"

"Well, it's not as though they can just give _children_ away."

"Fair point."

They discussed Atsushi's ability for a little while. Then, talked about the him passing the entrance test for the agency. If he couldn't pass it, taking him in was Dazai's investment alone, which he felt would be a lot of money. So, for his sake and Atsushi's he hoped the child could pass.

"When do you think he'd be able to take it?" Tanizaki asked.

Dazai shrugged. "When he's ready. Probably in a few years. He can't take it until he recovers a bit. That entrance test would possibly be severely traumatizing."

"Alright," Kunikida said, pulling a stack of papers in front of him. "So, that matter is finished. We're all up to date on this. So, the next order of business is to discuss our finances." He began to list deficits and debts and their possible need to raise their rates. "Dazai!" He yelled after a few minutes of talking, throwing a book at Dazai's head.

"Ow!" Dazai raised his head from the desk. "What was that for?"

"Can you stay awake during my presentations for once?!"

Dazai looked offended. "Kunikida, I can't help but feel like you're _blaming_ me for this."

"That's because I am!"

Dazai laid his head on the desk again. "That's really not fair," he muttered. "Atsushi kept transforming last night, and I had to make up a reason for why the apartment was such a mess. Then, I had to clean it up while he was sleeping, so I could pretend he'd just had a crazy deep. It was surprisingly taxing!"

"That doesn't mean you can sleep through meetings!"

"Then when am I supposed to sleep?" He muttered, earning himself a barrage of thrown books and yelling. "Why do you have so many books with you?" He said as he dodged a book.

Dazai stretched his arms out in front of him and yawned. _Aside from Kunikida yelling and throwing books at me, that was a relatively good nap._ He pulled the door. "Hey, I'm back."

"Dazai!" A small voice yelled. Almost as soon as stepped into the room, something slammed into his leg.

"Hey there, Atsushi. Miss me?" He pulled the child up into his arms. "How was he?" He asked Naomi.

She smiled. "I got him to play for most of the time. He watched a nature documentary about chameleons. Then he stared at the door for the last forty five moments."

Dazai breathed a laugh. "Good thing it went well." He turned down to Atsushi. "You hungry?" The child nodded vigorously. "Let's go get some tea on rice." Atsushi smiled excitedly. "See you, Naomi," Dazai called behind him.

"Bye, Naomi," Atsushi said over Dazai's shoulder before he put him down and let him walk.

 **There it is! Wrote it all out. I'm not sure how many chapters I want to have of this, but I have a plan for a more intense plot. Someone special will show up... Maybe not in the following chapter, but at some point... I'm looking forward to it!**

 **Thank you for everyone's support. I couldn't get this far without your reviews and views!**


	8. Cat

**Hello! So, I've had some difficulty writing. I've been working more, and all in all, I've been pretty distracted. I was originally going to try to write a handful of chapters for different stories and possibly start a new one, but... I'm busy. So, I gave up and decided to post this chapter as I'm watching** ** _Bones_** **and lounging around.**

Dazai normally let Atsushi hang around with him when he worked in the agency's office. Obviously, he left him with Naomi or with everyone who remained in the office when a job came in for him, since Kunikida deemed it "unprofessional" and "dangerous" to show up to a crime scene or Port Mafia attack with a child riding on his back.

Today, however, was not a very busy day. Dazai had just completed a job the day before, so he was supposed to write a report concerning the events of his task and his evaluation of it.

Atsushi swung his legs as he sat in his chair next to Dazai's. His legs were barely long enough that his feet could graze the floor. He happily flipped through a picture book and Dazai diligently worked on a report. When Kunikida passed by, at least. When he wasn't close by, Dazai played an old computer game

"Dazai?" Atsushi asked.

"What is it?" Dazai responded, his eyes still fixed on his game.

"Can we get a cat?"

 _We already have one._ Dazai thought, remembering Atsushi's tiger form from a few nights before. He felt his colleagues' eyes on him, and quickly closed out of the tab before Kunikida could see what he was really doing. He turned to Atsushi. "Why do you want a cat?" He asked, feeling everyone in the room watch how he handled a parenting situation. At this point, a handful of members have interacted with Atsushi and had to decide what to do in certain situations. None of them was a parent, and yet they were all technically raising Atsushi at this point and learning from each other.

Atsushi pointed to a fluffy calico cat in his picture book. "Cats are cool," he said casually. "I really like cats. Can I have one?"

 _We really can't get a cat._ He thought. _We already have a tiger and he doesn't even know about that yet. Now's not the time._ Dazai exhaled. _Great, now I'm going to have to say he can't have one._ "We can't get a cat right now," he said, turning back to the computer and actually typing out a report this time.

"Why not?" Atsushi questioned, his face getting a bit indignant. He didn't argue with Dazai very much, but he was still a child, and he would still want things.

"You're not old enough," Dazai replied calmly. This was a pretty regular response for him.

Atsushi puffed out his cheeks unhappily. Out of nowhere, two striped cat ears materialized on his head.

Naomi released a slight squeak. Kenji suppressed giggles.

Dazai had a hard time not laughing himself, since it had come on so unexpectedly. Atsushi looked offended when he noticed. "Why are you laughing?" He inquired innocently, the ears atop his head twitching. "I really want a cat."

"Sorry," Dazai responded, still fighting laughter. He patted Atsushi's arm, making the ears vanish immediately. "I was just laughing because Kunikida told me a really great joke earlier." Both the boy and the man turned to Kunikida. _Help me out, Kunikida._ Dazai urged with his mind and eyes.

"You're not dragging me into this, Dazai," he said without looking up from his work.

 _Darn it!_ Dazai thought, even though he'd already known that Kunikida only really had his back when the situation was work related. He turned back to Atsushi with a serious face. "We're not at home all the time, the cat would get lonely all by itself. And we couldn't bring it here because Kunikida is allergic to cats. Right, Kunikida?" _I'm giving you a shot at redemption._ His expression said. _All you have to do is say that you have allergies and-_

"Again," Kunikida called from across the room. "I'm not getting involved."

"We're supposed to be partners!" Dazai yelled back before turning to Atsushi. "Did I say Kunikida? I meant _Tanizaki_ is allergic to cats." He cleared his throat, expecting a response.

"It's true," Naomi said, hugging her brother's arm. "He coughs and sneezes whenever there's a cat around." Atsushi's face fell.

"But," Tanizaki cut in suddenly, "I'll be fine as long as I take some medications." Hope lit up Atsushi's face again. Dazai glared at the Agency member, who shrugged slightly with an apologetic grin. "I can't deal with being the one who prevents him from getting a cat. Weighs too much on my conscience."

Dazai sighed. "That's fair," he admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Atsushi," he began. "A cat is a big responsibility. And I don't think you're ready for it yet."

"I am," Atsushi replied softly, his lower lip sticking out a bit.

"How about you build your way up to a cat?" Dazai suggested. When Atsushi threw him a puzzled look, he explained. "A cat isn't too easy to take care of. They take a lot of work. So, before you can get a cat, how about we start with an easier animal? Like a fish."

"I can get a fish?" Atsushi asked, getting excited again. He paused. "Can I get an octopus?"

"We're not getting an octopus," Dazai said, realizing that he'd probably have to limit Atsushi's viewing of the nature network on TV. He'd have too many expectations for future pets. "I'll get you a _small_ fish. No sharks. No piranhas. No dolphins. We don't have room for those. Just a fish, and that's it. Okay?"

Atsushi nodded. "Okay!" Dazai instructed him to go use the restroom and get ready to go. They'd go buy a fish as soon as he was finished with work, which wouldn't take him long. The child dashed out of the room so quickly that Dazai wouldn't be surprised if he broke a world record.

"Your whole issue with getting sharks, piranhas, and dolphins is _available space_?" Kunikida questioned as Dazai submitted his report. "Not the fact that they're endangered, wild, or deadly?"

Dazai shrugged. "Yeah, that was kind of a reason I wanted them, but you know, it's a small apartment unit. Getting eaten by a shark would be an interesting way to go out, but I've got to worry about Atsushi for now." He closed his laptop and spun around in his chair a few times. "Plus a shark would have probably given him nightmares. You know, with those dark, soulless eyes and razor sharp teeth." He dragged his feet against the floor to slow his spinning, and jumped up from his seat. The room spun and wobbled under his feet. Kunikida readjusted his glasses, disapproval of Dazai's behavior and attitude shining in his eyes.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," he began as he took a step forward and staggered a bit. "I'm off to buy a fish."

 **Anyone who knows me knows that I love betta fish. He's getting a fish. =D**

 **I was planning to get all heavy and have a few serious chapters. I have them mostly mapped out in my head, but I was in the mood for fluff when I wrote this, so... yeah... Think I should have some more fluff in the next chapter? Any requests?**

 **Thanks for your support! Please review!**


	9. Fish

**Responses**

 **daAwsome1 XP... I'm personally drawn to bettas. So, I kind of feel the need to put those in the story... Honestly, some fish survive for longer than anyone expects. One of God's gifts to the world. =D**

 **TheSilverHunt3r... Aren't they the best?!**

 **Arhein... Glad you like it!**

 **Guest... Aaaaahhhh... I may have tortured many characters, written angst, and got myself in a bad mood so I can write emotionally straining scenes, but I can't kill an innocent fish (I would be up to making him just stare at it)... Making him eat it or something like that is beyond my capacity. =P Glad you're liking it so far!**

 **Guest... Glad you like it! I'm happy you enjoyed the cat ears!**

 **jilnachtaugen... Right... The Port Mafia. I actually do have some stuff with them planned out. Looking forward to writing that chapter.**

 **sameen... Haha! I actually thought about the cat ears when I was at work. I was wearing a cat ear headband and I thought** ** _What if Atsushi's cat ears appear when he gets agitated or unhappy?_**

 **EvilMindedZ... (Just so anyone else who looks at this message knows... We're friends outside of this website, so we tend to argue in the comments and through stories) I'LL DO WHAT I WANT, MAN! I'LL GET TO IT WHEN I GET TO IT! RIGHT NOW, I'M SLIGHTLY MORE CONCERNED WITH KILLING A CHARACTER I'VE GROWN TO LOVE AND CREATING FEELS! I'M IN A DARK PLACE (much like she was when she died) =P (It's okay for me to joke about this because I wrote her)**

 **Hello, everyone! Thank you for all of the reviews and love for this story! There's been a little struggle because I'll been "Busy, busy, dreadfully busy. You've no idea what I have to do. Busy, busy, shockingly busy. Much, much to busy for you." (I felt the need to quote one of my favorite** ** _VeggieTales_** **today =P )**

 **JK! I make time for writing! So... Here it is! Enjoy!**

Apparently, picking out a fish was a very lengthy process. Dazai hadn't thought much of it before they walked into the pet shop. It was Atsushi's first time in such a place and he spent about half an hour roaming around with Dazai following a short distance behind to make sure he wasn't getting into trouble.

The boy had grown a little bit, not just in size. He'd shot up an inch or two, but more importantly, he'd become more trusting. He still held Dazai's hand if they were crossing the street or walking in a crowded place, but in a situation where he wanted to explore and run around, he'd learned that Dazai wasn't going to be far. He'd learned to trust that Dazai wasn't going to disappear into thin air if he released his hand for a time.

"Are you sure we can't get a cat?" Atsushi asked over his shoulder while pressing his hand against the glass of the cat cages. A little orange tabby batted his paw against the glass.

"Yes, Atsushi," said Dazai. "I'm sure we can't get a cat right now." He gestured to the tropical fish section. "Why don't you look at the fish?"

Atsushi glanced in the direction of the fish, but then walked in the other direction. "I want to see the lizards first." It was then that Dazai realized that picking out a fish would be a longer process than he originally predicted.

He spent twenty minutes staring at a chameleon, another ten minutes looking at a gecko, and another five minutes observing an anole. Then, he moved on to look at the birds. Then, the hamsters. _This is a long process._ Dazai thought as Atsushi watched a hamster run on a wheel with wide, fascinated eyes. _At least it gets me out of work…_

They'd been in the pet store for roughly an hour, and Atsushi seemed perfectly content with looking at the animals. _I should take him to the zoo at some point. If he likes watching animals this much, he'd love it there._ Atsushi looked at a shiba inu in a mix of dogs behind glass. It followed him when he shuffled to the side. Another dog burst of out nowhere, barking fiercely. The child yelped and leapt back, bumping against Dazai. He shivered slightly.

"Calm down," Dazai said, lifting Atsushi and letting him climb onto his back. "That's just how dogs say hello."

"He's kind of scary," Atsushi whispered. His voice was strained, and his fingers gripped Dazai's shoulders like his life depended on it, which was weird because normally he was pretty cheery whenever Dazai let him up on his shoulders. _Must be his feline instincts._ Dazai figured as they walked away from the dogs.

"How about we look at the fish now?" He suggested.

"Okay."

Getting Atsushi to stay in the fish section felt like an accomplishment in itself. Dazai had to keep his attention by pointing out different kinds of fish every few minutes. "So," he said, looking at the wall of aquariums. "What kind do you want?"

Atsushi looked like he was thinking very hard about it. When he finally gave an answer, he just said, "I don't know."

 _I kind of half expected this..._ Dazai thought. _It took him half an hour to pick out two T-shirts that one time I bought him clothes. This is probably a big decision for him._ Dazai scanned through a shelf of brochures with pictures of different kinds of fish on them. _I just need to know which ones won't die._

He pulled out a brochure with a colorful fish on it, and looked over at the betta fish. "Hmm…" Atsushi looked up at him. "Atsushi, what about those fish?" The boy looked at the bettas curiously. "This says they're pretty easy to take care of." _They're also less expensive than most of the other animals here._ He added mentally.

Atsushi squinted, his mouth twisted up as though he was trying to sense a connection with the fish. He stared at a teal betta for a long time before putting a finger against the plastic cup it was in and watching it follow his movement. The fish trailed behind his finger wherever it moved. "Can I get this one?" Atsushi asked, pointing at his favorite fish.

"Okay then. We'll get this one," Dazai responded as he took the cup with the fish in it. He looked down at Atsushi. They grabbed a fish bowl, gravel, fish food, and a fake plant. "What are you going to name him?" He asked Atsushi as they stood in the checkout line.

"Neko," Atsushi decided. "I'm naming him Neko." He smiled up brightly.

 **I think I mentioned before that I love betta fish... Uh... I have a plan to include the Port Mafia later on. I'm definitely looking forward to that!**

 **Oh! Another thing! Umm... For those of you who don't know, I'm normally an angst writer. I've written another** ** _Bungou Stray Dogs_** **fanfiction. Please check it out!**

 **Thanks again for the amazing support and feedback!**

 **Any suggestions, flames, or comments? Please Review! Bye! =D**


	10. School

**Here I am again! It feels like it's been ages, but I think that's mainly because I'm resurrecting a few other fanfictions that I haven't touched in a LONG time. So, I'm here at 12:32am thinking,** ** _Maybe I shouldn't be up this late..._** **Then I thought** ** _Hey, I'm on college time..._** **So, I'm back to writing and posting stuff. So, here it is. Enjoy!**

Atsushi traced his finger along the glass tank, happily watching Neko follow the movement. He was happy with the betta, and he hadn't in any way tired of him in a week, which brought Dazai some relief. Feeding and _playing_ with the fish was kind of his morning and nightly routine now. Play with Neko mainly consisted of Atsushi putting his finger against the glass and watching the betta follow it. Somehow, this activity kept him entertained for several minutes at a time.

"Atsushi, come on," Dazai called. "It's time to go."

"Okay," the child responded, drawing away from the fish bowl. "Bye, Neko!" He yelled at the aquarium as he walked out the door with Dazai. He grabbed Dazai's outstretched hand. "I really like Neko."

"Really?" Dazai said, even though Atsushi had made his love for the fish abundantly obvious. Atsushi nodded, then started rambling about how cool the fish was and telling some strange, convoluted backstory about how Neko ended up in the pet shop. _Betta fish can't live in the ocean._ Dazai mentally corrected when Atsushi got to a part of his story about his pet fish fighting a shark.

"Hey, Dazai," Atsushi said after a lull in his fish story. His voice sounded troubled, maybe a bit confused.

"What is it?"

"Why don't I go to school?" When Dazai didn't respond right away, Atsushi kept talking. "Other kids my age go to school, right?" He didn't sound sad, just baffled. "Why am I always staying at the Agency?"

"I did not know you wanted to go to school," Dazai muttered, thinking about how to handle this. Chances were that Atsushi wouldn't turn into a tiger if moonlight wasn't present, but that didn't totally eliminate the risk of him transforming and being labeled as a beast and a danger to society. "Do you _really_ want to go to school?" He asked casually.

"I don't know," Atsushi replied. "Kind of, I guess…"

Dazai could sense his thoughts. Atsushi hadn't been around children his own age for the past month or so. Despite how well the Agency nurtured him and taught him and entertained him, they could never entirely replace people around Atsushi's age. _It's not surprising if he's only in the Agency. That's natural… If we could adopt_ another _child for him to play with… No, that seems a bit unethical..._ For now, Dazai just had to make up an excuse.

"You know, kids go to school to learn things," he began. "And you learn pretty much everything you need to know in the Agency. So, we're kind of like a school." Atsushi nodded, but didn't look totally convinced. "Like, you remember that time I let you come on that murder investigation? Remember what you learned?"

Atsushi bit the inside of his cheek, thinking back to the event. "Don't touch the body or you could get really sick."

"And?" Dazai prompted.

"And… and the lady died because someone cut her blood tube."

"Her artery," Dazai corrected quickly. "But, yeah, you learned a lot on that trip. Most kids don't even know what an artery is." _Most kids don't see a corpse up close to investigate…_ Dazai sighed, feeling the flaws in his reasoning.

"Really?"

"Yes," Dazai said. "You learn a lot more in the with the Agency than you would in school."

Atsushi seemed to consider this for as they entered the office and made it to Dazai's desk. He flipped for a case that he'd have to get to. _Victim was brutally hacked apart._ He read. Dazai glanced at Atsushi, who was innocently drawing a picture of Neko with a blue crayon. _Probably best to leave him here for this one…_

"I'll see you after work," Dazai murmured, looking at the file and ruffling Atsushi's hair. The child had heard that sentence so many times. He understood it was code for "I can't take you with me right now."

"Okay," he replied, focusing harder on drawing Neko. He never liked it when Dazai left, even if it was only for a short while. As much as he loved to play and tag along with everyone else in the Agency, they weren't Dazai.

Dazai was safety. He was calming. He was fun. He was comforting. However, Atsushi was no longer a baby about such things like Dazai leaving for a little bit. Dazai would come back. Dazai _always_ came back. There was absolutely no need to cry about it.

Kunikida was enjoying the silence. They'd been driving for forty five minutes and Dazai had hardly said anything. The man just stared at his book the whole time. Glorious silence.

 _Why can't it be like this more often?_ Kunikida thought, loving the absence of his partner's random comments and crazy notions. Still though, maybe that wasn't a good thing. Dazai wasn't saying anything. _Dazai_ wasn't saying anything. Perhaps he'd gotten so accustomed to his colleague's ramblings that not hearing them was unnerving. He heaved a great sigh. "Dazai, what is it?"

"Do you actually care?"

"No, but the silence is putting me on edge."

Dazai sighed. "It's Atsushi," he muttered. "Today he asked me why he doesn't go to school, and I had to tell him that other kids his age don't know what an artery is."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just that I'm beginning to think that sending him to school might be good for him…"

Kunkida glanced at Dazai before quickly returning his eyes to the road. "What if he transformed there?" He questioned.

Dazai groaned and stretched out in his seat. "Not likely. It only really happens at night." A long pause passed through the conversation. "He's lonely," Dazai murmured. "No matter how much we teach him at the Agency, we can't replace an actual school. If he doesn't interact with children his own age, it's possible he could turn out like Ranpo and have no social skills whatsoever."

"Ranpo _is_ the most intelligent person in the Agency," Kunikida reminded. "Shouldn't you be happy if he turns out like that?"

"He doesn't know how to ride the train, Kunikida."

"True…"

Dazai inhaled deeply. "He should at least be able to live like a normal child." Dazai's words trailed off as he spoke, indicating that he was deep in thought and the silence would continue through the drive.

"That was a quick one," Dazai stated, stretching out his arms as they parked the car. "It was obvious the axe murderer was the librarian."

"It was easy," Kunikida admitted, scribbling something in his notebook.

 _Something's off..._ Dazai thought suddenly, feeling an ominus twist in his gut. He didn't have any sort of sensory ability, but his instincts were sharper than most people's. His eyes widened and he took off running toward the Agency without an exclamation.

"Oi, Dazai," Kunikida called from behind him.

 _Something's bad!_ The words rang in his head. _Something's really, really bad!_

The first sign was the walls. They were riddled with holes and tears. Dazai skidded to a halt at the door. The floor was covered in blood. Tanizaki, Kenji, and Naomi were lying motionless on the ground.

And Atsushi was nowhere in sight.

 **Did you guys think this would be another bonding chapter? It was originally meant to be, but I decided it's about time to make this a little heavier. So, Atsushi's gone. That's something. I've had this planned for a long time... And really, just to let you know, I didn't really want it to be this abrupt, but I think no one really** ** _expects_** **their child to get kidnapped... Who do you think did it? Hmmm... I rather wonder...**

 **Anyway, got some big news (For me at least)... I got a DORM FISH! I hereby name him Atsushi! (He may be subject to a longer full name later) For some reason I kind of imagine myself being Yato from** ** _Noragami_** **when he names Yukine... *Attempts to write my fish's name in Kanji with my fingers***

 **(Please check out my other** ** _Bungou Stray Dogs_** **fanfiction,** ** _Forgotten Memories_** **(Some feedback would be spectacular!)**

 **Ummm... That's about it... Please review (random fish middle and last names would be appreciated too). You guys are some of the best readers a fanfiction writer could ask for. Could not get this far without you! =D**


	11. Frozen Lake

**Hello! It has not been very long, at least to me! But, I got pretty excited about this chapter because as I've mentioned before, I am an angst writer down to my DNA (which is contained in the Nucleus)... Biology exam coming up...**

 **So, a few of you told me not to hurt Atsushi too badly... and... I may or may not have listened to you... EvilMindedZ knows this... So... yeah! Enjoy!**

That day at the Agency had been like standing on a frozen lake for Atsushi. At first the ice was stable, bearing his weight without a problem. Suddenly, it cracked beneath his feet. Then, there was nothing but the freezing water around him to rip the breath from his lungs and make his blood freeze.

It had been like any other day. Dazai and Kunikida had left on a job that was too violent or too frightening for Atsushi to follow. So, he'd simply stayed behind with Kenji, Tanizaki, and Naomi. Completely normal. He'd been drawing pictures of Neko as he had been before Dazai left. When he started a drawing, he normally took a long time on it. Kenji was sitting next to him, drawing a cow and snacking on beef jerky. Tanizaki and Naomi did paperwork… or something… Atsushi had never understood what they did, but it looked plenty important.

Then, that solid ice they'd all been standing on cracked. It shattered beneath their feet when the door flew off its hinges. Atsushi didn't even see who was at the door before Kenji pulled him off his chair and pushed him under a desk.

"Wha-" Atsushi began, flinching when he heard several loud banging sounds.

"Just stay under here for a little bit," Kenji said, smiling and ducking his head. "This kind of thing happens every now and then. Won't take long." He stepped away from the desk. "Tanizaki," he called casually as he walked away. Atsushi could barely hear his voice over the sound of gun shots. "It's a raid again."

 _Raid?_ Atsushi tried to think back to if anyone had explained that word to him before… One time. It was back before he knew anyone aside from Dazai in the Agency. They'd entered the office area to see the walls riddled with bullet holes and broken windows. When he'd asked Dazai what happened, the man simply told him that some people would sometimes come and do stuff like this. Then he'd said that if Atsushi was ever there during a raid, he was to hide and wait for an Agency employee tell him it was okay to come out.

It all seemed so simple back then, but now with the deafening shots and the regular din of crashes, it was all so confusing.

"Seriously?! While Atsushi's here?" Tanizaki responded from the other room. "The Mafia has the worst timing." Atsushi peered out from behind the desk and saw glowing green snowfall.

 _Tanizaki's using_ Light Snow. He thought, watching an illusion come together. A giant version of Neko swam in the air past him and despite how scared he was he laughed.

"What the-" A man's voice said. "Why's there a fish?!"

"An illusion!" Another man yelled. "We can just tear through it."

Something suddenly grabbed Atsushi's wrist, and he immediately pulled away, hitting the back of his head on the desk, his little face contorted in pain. "Atsushi, calm down," Tanizaki's voice said as he materialized next to the child. "It's just me." Atsushi breathed a sigh of relief while rubbing the place where his head had gotten hurt. "We're going to get you out of the office. It's too rough for you right now." He didn't wait for Atsushi to respond before he scooped him up off the floor and carried him to a different room.

Illusions of Tanizaki and Kenji appeared in different areas of the room, getting repeatedly torn apart as bullets flew through them to draw fire away from the real versions. Atsushi watched Kenji roundhouse kick a guy with a black suit and dark glasses. His gun fell into Kenji's hands, but he seemed uninterested in such a weapon and he tossed it aside, disappearing into Tanizaki's illusions again.

Atsushi got deposited into Naomi's arms. She held him at her hip as she always did. "Big brother," she said, leaning closer to Tanizaki and gripping his shirt with the hand that didn't secure Atsushi. "Please be careful."

He held her in a quick hug before pulling away. "I swear I'll come back." Then he gave her a cocky smile. "It's just a raid. Kenji and I will be fine." He left them in the room, closing the door behind him.

Atsushi gripped Naomi's shirt in his fist nervously. She noticed and looked down at him. "It'll be fine," she assured, holding him closer. "These sort of things always happen." He stared back at her, his hand still gripping her shirt. "I know it's scary," she said gently. "The boys have this in hand."

The gunshots lulled into a silence. Atsushi's grip on Naomi's shirt loosened. "See?" She remarked joyfully. "It's over." She was smiling, but Atsushi noticed something weird. Naomi made no move to leave the room they were settled in. Then he put it together. Tanizaki and Kenji hadn't called them back or come to get them yet.

For the second time in that hour, a door flew off its hinges. This time it wasn't several men in suits carrying guns. This time it was a man with a long black coat, a steely expression, and long black tendrils flowing behind him. Naomi gasped and Atsushi clung to her like she could do something, even though, they both knew that she standed no chance against this man. "It's him…" She whispered, her voice smaller than Atsushi's used to be. "It's Akutagawa."

It all happened in less than a second. One of those flowing tendrils suddenly sprang out, tearing Naomi from Atsushi's feeble grasp, tossing her against the wall like a ragdoll. Blood trailed down her shirt in a thick red line. A faint sound escaped her lips, something between a whimper and dying breath. The dark tendril receded, and Naomi slid to the ground, leaving a bright red line on the wall behind her.

The child stood frozen. What was he supposed to do? It wouldn't matter even if he did know what actions to take. His body wouldn't move aside from the constant trembling in his lips and hands. Atsushi could only stare at the blood, all the ruby liquid that puddled on the floor and smeared on the wall. "N-N-Naomi…"

"Come on." The man with the black coat, Akutagawa, grabbed Atsushi by the back of his shirt, and dragged him out of the room that he and Naomi had hidden in. There was even more blood in the main office area. Atsushi wanted to close his eyes, to not see Tanizaki and Kenji and several men in black suits lying motionless on the ground, but he couldn't.

 _Move!_ He commanded himself desperately. _Do something!_ That was when he finally grasped control of his body. Atsushi twisted around and sunk his teeth into Akutagawa's hand. He bit hard, tasting blood. It tasted awful, like he had liquid metal in his mouth, but he kept clamping his teeth down on Akutagawa's hand.

A long, cloth tendril from his coat lashed out, flinging Atsushi in the other direction. He hit the wall; the force knocked the air from his of the black tendrils caught his shoulder, and Atsushi knew he'd heard a _pop._ He screamed in pain as he hung limply by this weird, scary ability. Akutagawa was oblivious.

He held Atsushi there with his ability, waiting for the boy's screams to diminish to soft whimper. "Listen, Tiger," he said in a low voice as a strand of his ability wound around the hand that Atsushi had bitten to form a makeshift bandage. "If you keep fighting, I'll take your arm off." The strange cloth ability thing curled around Atsushi's arm, tightening and cutting off blood flow. "It'll all be easier if you just come with us, understand?" Atsushi didn't answer, his teeth were too tightly clenched. Akutagawa shrugged and let him drop to the ground.

Atsushi cradled his injured arm, trying not to cry. It hurt so badly, suddenly aching every time he shifted it. His heart was pounding painfully against his ribs as he sat on the blood soaked floor. "Come on," Akutagawa ordered impatiently. Atsushi felt himself instinctively curl up a little. The criminal nudged Atsushi in the side sharply with his shoe. It wasn't quite a kick, but it was still enough to make the child scramble backwards and yelp. "If you don't walk, I'll drag you out of here. I'm giving you a choice."

The child swallowed his pain and rose on shaking legs. The shook so badly that he was surprised he could even stand, but somehow he managed to walk. Atsushi tried to ignore the sting of frightened tears behind his eyes. _Dazai always said that I should run if bad people come after me…_ Atsushi thought, putting his energy into staying calm. _I have to run… I have to… But…_ He glanced at Akutagawa, looking at the ground when the man noticed. Atsushi could sense that he wouldn't hesitate to carry out his threat. And Atsushi liked his arms. Even his young mind could piece together that it wasn't worth the risk.

 _You won't see Dazai again._ A voice said in his mind. That made Atsushi's body go rigid. "Hey," Akutagawa said from behind him, prodding his back with his ability. "Keep walking." Atsushi remained frozen as if he was staring at Naomi getting impaled again. He wanted to run or do _something_ , but he _couldn't_. Just like minutes before. Akutagawa muttered a word that Atsushi didn't recognize, but he knew that a word that he shouldn't say.

And just like minutes before, Atsushi broke out of his trance, the unsteady rocking he'd felt disappeared and he moved. He bolted, turning away from Akutagawa and running out of an open door.

His escape plan didn't get him too far. As quick as he was, his legs were still too small to carry him very far. There seemed to be multitudes of guys with gun, circling the building, cutting off his escape. A stab of pain tore at his shoulder, and he was only aware of the fresh splatter of blood on the sidewalk. Once again, he was lifted off his feet by that ability.

A cry tore at his throat, but a dark tendril covered his mouth, effectively silencing him. "I warned you," the ability user said. Atsushi squeezed his eyes shut, preparing to lose an arm, but Akutagawa must have changed his mind about amputating an arm. He tossed the child, sending him flying.

For the second time that day, the air got knocked from Atsushi's lungs leaving him coughing and gasping for breath. He heard something click, and opened his eyes to see where he was now.

It was dark, so dark that for a second, he thought that he hadn't opened his eyes yet. Atsushi put out a hand, feeling for something in front of him. It took a minute for him to touch anything. His hand met a solid, metal wall. _Uh-oh…_ He thought with a tight feeling in his chest. His hands traveled up the wall, meeting a corner, then another wall, then a ceiling. _No._ He thought, trying to fight the walls, floor, and ceiling around him. Feeling nothing give way, he screamed in frustration and fear.

Something, a fist maybe, banged on the ceiling, the sound echoing around his tiny prison. "Be quiet," a voice said annoyedly. Atsushi felt chest tighten again, making it harder and harder to breath. He curled in on himself, shaking slightly. _Dazai…_ He thought as though he could call for help through his mind. _Dazai… Please… Where are you?_

 **Yeahhh... I just did that. Huge apology to Atsushi! Love you, darling!**

 **I had several thoughts for this chapter, but throughout I knew that I wanted an Atsushi POV this time... Also, I was watching** ** _Sweeney Todd_** **while I wrote this, so... Blood was really on my mind.**

 **I forgot to mention this, which is why I'm adding it after I first posted this, so... There's an opportunity to put Kyouka in here, which I want to do... If anyone has any ideas for what to do with her, I'd be happy to hear your opinions!**

 **Ah... it's like 2:31am... College time is weird. Fanfiction is more fun to write than essays... So, I hope you all liked it... or you want me to die a painful death because of what I just did to Atsushi. I'm flattered by either response!**

 **Please review! BYE! =D**


	12. Box

**Hello! So, this is probably one of the fastest updates I have ever done. (Aside from that one time with the** ** _Star Wars Rebels_** **fanfiction. So, umm... I was originally planning to write a bunch of other chapters for other fanfics and stuff, but as usual, I was busy...**

 **Thank you so much for all of the reviews! Normally it takes around a week or two to get that many, but... I think all you guys broke a record for me... *Happy tears* Thank you!**

 **Also, a side note, I know I am a monster. It's how writers are. =P**

 **Enjoy!**

He cried at first, sobbing loudly, feeling like the walls of the box were closing in around him. Atsushi's arms hurt and the bumping of the car didn't help any, one arm had blood running down his shoulder in an awful, sticky stream. The other felt out of place and he could do nothing to ease the pain but cradle it.

"Pipe down!" Akutagawa's voice demanded as the box rattled violently. Atsushi shied away from his voice, pressing himself against the back wall, biting his lip to silence himself. "Make noise again and I _will_ take off your leg," he threatened in the same demanding tone. Atsushi curled up a little tighter, focusing on not making a sound.

"Do you want me to pull over and move him to the trunk?" A woman's voice asked.

Akutagawa coughed. "No, Higuchi," he replied calmly. "I don't want any delays. If all goes according to schedule, the tiger should be loaded on the boat before Dusk. It would be best if we left him at the docs and let the lower ranking members take care of him from then on."

"Sounds good."

They drove for a couple minutes in silence, and Atsushi remained silent in the back seat. Dazai used to tell him to try to call for help if he was ever kidnapped or in trouble, but that piece of advice did no good for him here. Akutagawa would dismember him if he made a sound. He couldn't run, he couldn't even stand. He folded in his legs and rested his head on his knees.

"That was easier than expected," Higuchi said, probably just trying to make conversation.

"I didn't expect much to begin with," Akutagawa's voice replied emotionlessly. Atsushi listened, hoping to catch what was going on. "We were warned about a tiger, and all that was there was a child. I'm disappointed to say the least." A hand banged against the side of Atsushi's little box prison and the child inside flinched, but remained silent.

That's when he became aware of the warm gushing liquid from his shoulder. Atsushi managed to reach a hand around to feel his shoulder. A giant gash was still there, bleeding without end. It had healed up a little, but he still felt the warm drizzle down his back and the dizziness that accompanied blood loss. He should have felt panicked about it, but he couldn't, he was too exhausted to feel anything other than the sheer inability to keep his eyes open. His head ached and his head lolled back against the wall. Little by little, he drifted off.

Akutagawa cursed as he jabbed a button on his phone. Higuchi glanced over at him, probably deciding whether or not to speak. "Drive us back to headquarters," he ordered in a low voice. "Our client canceled at the last minute. They want their tiger around noon tomorrow." Higuchi gave an annoyed sigh to indicate that she was just as enraged at their client's behavior as her senpai was.

It didn't take them long to return to headquarters, the traffic was light and the drive was quick. "A-Akutagawa Senpai," she began. "What about-"

"We'll take him in, keep him in the lower levels. It doesn't matter. He can live without food for a night."

Atsushi woke up slowly, his head was groggy, and he couldn't say for sure thanks to the darkness, but it was possible that his vision was blurry as well. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, still keeping quiet because he remembered all of what happened. Akutagawa… The Agency… The threats…

The ground didn't bounce under him, so it was fair to guess that he wasn't in a car anymore. His bleeding shoulder had healed, leaving a raw and sore feeling where the wound had been.

 _Where am I now?_ Atsushi pondered before thinking of a more important question. _Where is Dazai?_

He didn't move. The child sat still and stayed silent like a statue. For all he knew, Akutagawa was sitting right outside of his box prison, waiting for him to make a sound so he could punish him in the way he'd described earlier.

"There's no need to check on him." Atsushi flinched when he heard his kidnapper's voice. "We got him today, and he was in average condition."

"With how you carry out your jobs, I wouldn't be surprised if he was already dead," a feminine voice that Atsushi didn't recognize responded. Akutagawa growled. Suddenly, Atsushi's prison moved, rolling over violently. He couldn't suppress a cry of pain or fear when the sudden movement made him fall on his injured arm.

"See?" Akutagawa's voice hovered above him as he tried to readjust his arm to a bearable position. It hurt so badly that he wailed at the top of his lungs, hardly caring that Akutagawa would remove his limbs. Nothing at that moment was more important than the pain he felt in his shoulder. "He's still alive," he said over the sound of Atsushi's screams. A loud bang came from the side of the box. "Now, quiet down!"

It took great effort to silence himself, but eventually, the screaming faded to whimpers.

"Great," the woman's voice remarked sarcastically. " _Now_ for all we know, he has a concussion that'll kill him in a matter of hours." She groaned. "The boss would back me up on this. He wants that seven billion and if the kid dies before we turn him over, we'll get nothing."

A slight sound of defeat, followed by, "I _will_ kill you one day."

Something clicked outside of the box and light flooded into Atsushi's prison cell. He covered his eyes with his uninjured arm, squinting, adjusting to the light. He curled into a tighter ball when he could see two pairs of legs outside of his box. It was weird, after wanting to escape the box so badly, he wanted to stay inside. It felt safer than anything outside.

"Hi there," a woman with long blond hair. She gestured for Atsushi to come out, but he stayed where he was, glaring at her with distrust. "You want to come out of there?" She asked gently. Her kind facade was almost enough to fool Atsushi. Almost. He could see the scary glint behind the friendly light in her eyes. He heard the razor edge under her smooth words.

"I got it." A black strip of cloth reached in, wrapping around Atsushi's ankle. He screamed and fought as it dragged him out. Then he was on the cold, tiled floor, tightly curled up and crying. "So uncooperative," Akutagawa muttered with irritation as the woman pulled Atsushi out of the fetal position.

"He bled way too much," she said, pressing her wrist against Atsushi's forehead. She turned to Akutagawa. "What did you do?"

The man shrugged. "Not like it killed him."

"If he was normal, he'd have died of blood loss by now." She forced one of Atsushi's eyes open with her fingers. He pulled back and fought her hands. "Stay still," she muttered, grabbing his chin as if it would help get her orders through his head. He didn't "stay still," instead, he bit her. Just as he had done when Akutagawa grabbed his shirt, he clamped his teeth down on flesh, tasting blood. The woman swore, and yanked her hand from Atsushi's jaws. Blood dripped from her fingers.

She slapped the child across the face, a streak of her blood painted a line on Atsushi's cheek. "Stop squirming," she growled. The slap left a red mark on his cheek and a stinging that he knew wouldn't subside for awhile. Still terrified and dazed from the blow to his face, Atsushi complied, hoping that the poking and prodding would be over sooner if he didn't fight so much. He didn't want to look at her or Akutagawa, so he stared at his feet.

A sudden, sharp pain tore through his arm and he shied back. The woman let him, not yelling or grabbing him this time. "Dislocated shoulder," she said, looking to Akutagawa. Then she smirked. "Remember when Dazai was around, you used to show up with one of these every few days? It's a wonder you don't have permanent damage."

 _Dazai?_ Atsushi looked up suddenly, his eyes asking questions. Akutagawa glanced down at Atsushi's questioning gaze, and for a little more than a second, the child made eye contact with him, seeing the cold depths. "That's right," he began, as if just remembering who had been raising Atsushi for so long. "Dazai's been acting as your guardian."

The child didn't nod or shake his head to give an answer, he simply stared back with wide, curious eyes. How did this man know Dazai? Why did they speak of him with such familiarity in their voices? "He was my teacher. He brought me into the Port Mafia."

"And beat you half to death on a near daily basis," the woman added casually, smirking.

"Shut up, Akina," Akutagawa snapped. "I'll kill you where you stand!"

Akina shrugged. "The higher ups wouldn't be happy with you." The air filled with a murderous rage from Akutagawa. "Forget it," she said, veering away from the topic. She clapped Atsushi on his afflicted shoulder. He released a short scream, fell to his knees and grasped his hurting arm. It ached so badly that he felt like he was going to get sick right there. "He's fine. Dislocated shoulder, but that won't kill him. I'm not in the mood to pop it back into place, the important thing is that the tiger'll survive the trip."

 _Why do they keep calling me that?_ Atsushi thought, although his question was blurred and confused by the pain.

A long strip of Akutagawa's ability rolled across the floor as if to herd Atsushi back into the box. A few minutes ago, he would have begged to go back in to escape the two Port Mafia members before him, but not now.

What did they mean when they said that Dazai had beaten Akutagawa to half to death all the time? What would happen should he go back into the box? Where were they shipping him off to? The questions swirled around in his head, making him feel dizzy and sick to his stomach.

Akutagawa seemed to be in no mood explain anything to Atsushi or take more than thirty seconds getting him into the box. His ability swirled around Atsushi, pushing him closer and closer to the tiny prison. Atsushi writhed, despite the crippling pain in his arm. He clawed at the cloth tendrils around him, but that had no effect. Eventually, he was crammed in the box again, gripping his injured arm, screaming with rage as Akutagawa slammed the entrance shut and set the latch in place.

"Quit screaming." He kicked the side of the box, which at this point didn't frighten Atsushi as it had before. Atsushi only stopped fighting when he had to take a moment to draw a breath. "It's not as though this would have turned out any differently for you." Atsushi glared at the darkness before him and rammed his foot into the wall of his box prison as hard as he could. "Dazai was likely going to sell you to the client as well," Akutagawa continued boredly.

That statement made Atsushi stop. He didn't believe Akutagawa, of course, he was more angry that he would suggest that. "No!" Atsushi yelled, kicking the wall angrily again. "Stop talking!"

He could hear Akutagawa scoff on the outside of the box. "He pushes you aside, leaves you behind."

...Atsushi couldn't completely deny that…

"That man is as ruthless as they come. He keeps countless secrets and does everything for his own person gain."

Atsushi kicked the box again in response, hoping it would silence Akutagawa, but no such luck. "He abandoned me, what makes you think he wouldn't do the same to you?"

Atsushi wished that he could say he was lying, but there was a pull in Akutagawa's voice that made his words too real. Plus, Dazai had taught him how to hear lies in a voice, and he heard nothing in Akutagawa's. Since he didn't have anything else to say, he just kept fighting against the box walls. Akutagawa hit the top of the box one more time. "Learn to accept your fate, Weretiger. Dazai was planning to do the same thing with you."

Atsushi stopped thrashing for a moment, feeling the weight of the words on him. _Dazai, where are you? Dazai, where are you? Why aren't you here?!_

"Kyouka, guard him," the Port Mafia member said, his words were further off, followed by footfalls.

Atsushi felt himself snap. He had no clue what was happening after that. He was just aware that he felt a burning pain in the pit of his stomach and the cage around him broke, sending pieces in all direction. He growled, feeling the unignorable urge to tear something apart.

His last memory was Akutagawa standing next to a girl in traditional Japanese clothes. "Looks like we're not getting him back into the box," Akutagawa said with a smirk.

 **Yes, I know, I know... I'm a terrible person. Maybe** ** _this_** **is why my darling fish, Atsushi Zane Kaneki Decim has been staying on the side of the tank that's farthest from me... He knows that I'm hurting the precious cinnamon roll that I named him after...**

 **I'm planning that the next chapter will go back to Dazai and after all that happens, we should be back to the fluffy chapters we all love.**

 **By the way, does anyone recognize Akina? (She won't appear much. When I make OCs it's normally just to move the story along.) So, this is probably the only time she shows up here.**

 **I hope everyone liked this chapter! I wanted some things to play out differently, and I tried... (Just so you know, I'm kinda sick as I write this...)**

 **I'm personally excited for the next few to come!**

 **See ya!**

 **(P.S. I didn't know this completely until after I posted a few chapters back, but betta fish need water heaters... I got Atsushi one a while ago... That was it)**


	13. The Scent of Citrus Fruit

**Responses**

 **Guest: Huh... actually now that you mention it... I've been considering whether or not to let Atsushi know about his abilities. I'm still making up my mind on that. And also, yeah... he's gonna be traumatized...**

 **quest: Glad you're liking it. Yeah... Dazai's going to be pissed.**

 **EvilMindedZ: Yes, I did have to... You really ought to know this about me by now.**

 **jilnachtaugen: LOL! Yes, I am enjoying this. I feed on the pain of readers. Don't worry ADA is on the way. Not like I'm leaving him there and letting him get sold off. I'm a sadistic writer, but I can't go that dark. =P**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Yes he did! =D**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Awww... Thank you. It's encouraging to know that there are a few people out there who believe that I'm not a terrible person... Also, his name is Atsushi Zane Kaneki Decim. I generally either call him Atsushi. Name him after characters from** ** _Bungou Stray Dogs, Ninjago_** **(Do not judge me =P I like ninjas) or** ** _Pretties, Tokyo Ghoul,_** **and** ** _Death Parade._** **Yeah... I'm definitely and Otaku.**

 **Guest: I could hurt him a lot worse... I would be down for that, but torturing a child under the age of 12 isn't exactly one of my specialties. Unless you count that one time... (Only in writing)**

 **Hello! Here I am, back again, writing more. I'll be completely honest, guys, this chapter was not the easiest.**

 **I've been occupied with school again and I should be reading** ** _The Aeneid_** **instead of posting at this moment, but... this is more fun. =P Besides, it's not like I'm just now writing it, and I'm in a very optimistic mood right now. Never underestimate the power of a 2 hour nap!**

 **Enjoy!**

For the past month or so, Dazai had been watching his mouth. He kept every curse word he wanted to say to himself when around Atsushi, so the child wouldn't pick anything up and swear like a sailor in public at any point.

And when he didn't find the child anywhere in the Agency, every word he'd censored came out in a rush. _Okay._ He thought once he'd drained every vulgar word he knew from his mind. _Wasted too much time already._ He pulled his phone from his pocket, and dialed an emergency contact.

"Hello?" An impatient voice answered.

"Emergency," he responded quickly. "You need to come to the Agency right now." He hung up without any further exclamation. Then, he checked the wounded employees for signs of life. Somehow, they'd all managed to keep their pulses going however faint they were. "Kenji," he said, lightly tapping the boy's face. He didn't respond. No one did.

"Port Mafia," Kunikida muttered when he came in.

"Of course," Dazai replied seriously. "No one else would attack us like this."

"How did they completely wipe everyone out? This never happens." He pulled out his phone, punching in a few numbers.

"Don't call Ranpo. We don't have the time to wait for him to get back." Dazai sighed heavily, thinking through the situation. "We'll have to ask them when the doctor can get them back, but I have a theory." He paused, staring at the huge gash in Naomi's midsection. "This wasn't a normal raid. They had someone who's gifted with them." The wounds on everyone was more than enough proof for him. "Someone like Akutagawa."

A chill went through the air at the mention of his former apprentice's name. "Why would-"

"This wasn't a normal kidnapping. Unless they knew what he is, they wouldn't go this far."

"What makes you so sure it was Akutagawa?"

 _I trained the boy. I'm familiar with his personality, his strategies, the aftermath of his attacks. He's just as obvious as ever._ Dazai thought in response. "It doesn't matter," he said. "Our top priority is retrieving Atsushi." His partner looked at him, knowing that he was hiding something, but didn't push the issue. "I'm going," Dazai concluded, starting out the door.

"What are you thinking?!" Kunikida said, grabbing Dazai by the arm. "You can't go in there without a plan. Don't be stupid and try to get yourself killed."

"I won't die on this mission, Kunikida. Now's not the time." He yanked his arm away indignantly. "We can't wait on this. Every minute we spend here is another minute that Atsushi could be getting tortured." He turned away and started heading out again.

"But you can't go!" Kunikida called.

"And why not?" Dazai yelled back, not slowing his gait.

"Because you don't have a driver's license."

He still didn't stop. "I know, I'm expecting you to drive me there. Pick up the pace!"

"What?! You can't go in there with no plan," he said again.

"Have you ever known me without a plan?" That's when he actually turned around to face his colleague. "I know you see me as an idiot in a rush to die with no sense of responsibility whatsoever, but believe me when I tell you that I have a plan to get the child out of there. My predictions always come true." He stared Kunikida right in the eyes. "You're going to have to trust me on this."

"He's alive. If they went through that much trouble to take him, they wouldn't kill him."

"How would they know about him being a tiger? That's the only reason they'd want him."

Dazai shrugged, rummaging through the glove compartment. "The Mafia has their ways. They know more than we'd like to admit." He shoved aside a car owner manual. "Where do you keep your sunglasses?"

"Middle compartment," he answered, not sparing a glance as Dazai adjusted the shades on his face. "What's your plan anyway?" Kunikida asked. "You've given me no details."

The car slowed, and Dazai jumped out. "Just be here in forty three minutes. I'm going to get Atsushi back."

Atsushi was in a different sort of prison when he woke up. He wasn't bound to the wall as he had been in the orphanage, which was a relief. He was only behind bars. _What happened?_ He thought, trying to steady himself as his head spun. He could remember somehow bursting free from the box, but after that… He didn't know.

Akutagawa was nowhere in sight. The only person within a twenty foot radius of him was the girl in traditional clothes, Kyouka. He didn't ask her any questions or try to talk to her. Kyouka's face was passive, her eyes held no interest or disdain for him, they purely looked on him without expression.

He cautiously rose, cradling his hurt arm. No one had bothered to pop it back into place after he'd passed out, and it still felt crooked and hurt a lot. Atsushi looked down at himself. His clothes were stained with dried blood, and he was left wondering if it was his own. If he could just find a way out… Then what?

It's not like he knew how to get out or where to go. He didn't know Yokohama very well. Heck, he didn't even know if he was _in_ Yokohama any more.

 _He abandoned me. What makes you think he wouldn't do the same to you?_

 _Dazai was likely going to sell you to the client as well._

 _Learn to accept your fate, Weretiger. Dazai was planning to do the same thing with you._

Atsushi shook his head. That… That couldn't be true. Dazai wouldn't sell him off to some stranger. _But Dazai's not here now…_ Atsushi's arm ached more and he clutched it closer to his body, gritting his teeth. His mind flashed back to the sound of truth in Akutagawa's voice, and swallowed hard. He'd said Dazai would sell him, no differently than the Port Mafia.

And despite how much he wanted to fight the idea, he just _couldn't._ He felt broken down, tired. His body was weak, and his arm hurt ceaselessly. Atsushi's legs trembled under him as he thought more about it. _He never hurt me…_ The child thought, remembering how Akina commented that Dazai had beaten Akutagawa on a daily basis.

 _That's because he was going to sell you._ His own voice whispered in his head. _That's the same reason why Akina yelled at Akutagawa. She said that they wouldn't get money if you're dead…_

… _Is that why?... Is that why?_ Atsushi's legs shook harder, pulling him to the ground. He found himself curled up, trembling on the floor. Kyouka's eyes bore into him, studying his small, huddled form. She didn't say anything as he sobbed. Atsushi sensed some pity in her gaze, but that didn't matter. He was alone again. Abandoned by Dazai as he had been by his parents before he could remember them.

It took him a while to calm down, to stop crying and wind up in the corner, as far away from his prison guard as he could get. Kyouka didn't react, she kept her eyes on him, not in a threatening way, simply observative. Then, he just put his head on his knees, giving up.

 _Crap._ Dazai thought as he walked out of another closet. _This is taking longer than I thought. Pulling Atsushi out is going to have to be quick._ He lifted the sunglasses on his face above his eyes, glancing around as he walked. _Hey, did they redecorate in here? Hardly even recognize it._ Dazai took a left turn, he couldn't afford to get too distracted, Atsushi's life could very well depend on it.

The trip to the detention center wasn't a problem even with the new decor. As someone who had spent years of his life in the Port Mafia, a few of those years as an executive, Dazai could never forget the way there. Even if he was blind, he'd have been able to find his way there by its scent. It didn't smell like blood or anything like that. Citrus fruit. The overwhelming sharp, smell of citrus fruit. Cleaning products were always used with no end to wash away the blood stains on the floor and walls.

Dazai had never understood the reason for doing so. It was a detention center, there wasn't much of a reason to keep it tidy, but regardless, it always had the harsh fumes of chemicals. His stomach twisted when he thought about Atsushi in there. He was only a child, there was no doubt that he was terrified and confused.

A demon lashed out at him the moment he entered the prison. Dazai stood, unfazed. The Port Mafia put excessive stock in their ability users, it was predictable that they would have an ability user be their defense. Against a normal person, this would be effective. Against Dazai, it made no difference. The ability user, a young girl, didn't look surprised, nor did she look frustrated. She didn't ever try to retaliate with her ability. She simply blinked in the light of his ability colliding with hers.

Atsushi sat rigid in the corner with his head resting against his knees. Dazai's eyes hardly glanced at him before the girl came flying at him with a short sword. She would have slashed his throat if Dazai wasn't faster and more experienced than she was. He caught her wrists effortlessly, impairing her movement, keeping her in one place.

He squinted at her eyes. "You don't really want to do this," he stated knowingly. "I know how that is." The girl didn't respond, she simply stared back at him. His fingers brushed her skin as he focused his ability into his hands. The girl's eyes grew wide for a second and she flinched as though an electric shock ran through her body, then she went limp.

Dazai propped her body against the wall and turned to Atsushi. The child was now standing, pressed against the bars, staring at Dazai. His eyes were narrowed with distrust, which almost caught Dazai off guard since Atsushi had stopped looking at people that way a long time ago. The only time Dazai had seen him make that face was when they passed by a dog that barked a lot. He hadn't looked at _Dazai_ that way since they'd first met in the orphanage.

The man released a long sigh as he got to work on the lock. "Okay," he began. "What did they tell you?"

 **So, that was something... Just a slight exclamation with Dazai knocking out Kyouka, he's done it before, more or less. If you recall the first and second episodes, Atsushi was out cold when Dazai used his ability on him. That could be argued that turning into a tiger exhausts him and stuff. However, there was also that one time with Steinbeck in season two. So... Idk, I think he'd have a decent control on his ability and to what degree he uses it. (So, that was just me defending my writing, that was fun)...**

 **I've got a lot more planned for the next few chapters, I would have just added them to this chapter, but that was long and I'm working on feeling the characters' emotions for what's coming next and I've been relatively too busy to feel stuff this week.**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for reading. Please review!**

 **P.S. I** ** _swear_** **, Akutagawa will be in the next chapter. This was all build up...**


	14. It's Okay Now

**Some Responses**

 **Guest: Yeah... You'll have to read and see if he can trust Dazai again.**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Well... Yeah... I'm figuring out what to do with her right now.**

 **Guest: Yes... The last few chapters partially killed me to write.**

 **EvilMindedZ: As I told you in a text, he did this in the manga. =P**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Haha! I respect that. Yes, that is Dazai's response right now. It's how I feel and I'm the one writing this.**

 **jilnachtaugen: Oh yeah... He's mad now. I would have been all for him bringing Neko, but judging from how difficult the walk from my dorm room the the bathroom is with my fish tank when I need to give Atsushi Zane Kaneki Decim a partial water change, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it is hard to safely transport a fish without spilling the water or dropping the fish... I hope this beat down meets your expectations!**

 **HIIII! I've returned with a new chapter! I was going to wait to post this with a bunch of other stuff, but... I got bored and wanted to get this one out there. Enjoy!**

Atsushi's muscles were taut, ready to move if Dazai approached him. He stared at the man with narrowed eyes. Dazai took his time on the lock, partly because it was more complicated than he'd expected it to be, partly because he was trying to give Atsushi time. Time to return to his senses.

"Atsushi," he called, gently swinging the cell door open. "Come here." The child looked at him, still glaring daggers at him. Dazai sighed. "Atsushi, listen to me, we don't have very much time. If we don't leave now, some very bad things could happen." He obviously knew that but, he remained frozen there, cradling his arm.

It was completely fair to say that Dazai was not in the mood for this. If Atsushi hadn't been streaked with blood and terrified already, the man would have scooped him up and dragged him out kicking and screaming. Atsushi's eyes traveled to the unconscious girl against the wall. "She's fine," Dazai said. Neither one of them moved. If Dazai came too close, it was possible that Atsushi would perceive that as an attempt to hurt him, and his mental state wouldn't improve with that. On the other hand, if they stayed too long, Dazai would probably be put up against more than he could take.

"I know you're scared. It's okay, I'm here now. Let's go home."

Atsushi flinched at Dazai's voice and flattened himself into the corner. Dazai groaned. He was generally a very patient person, and if they had the time to wait for Atsushi to trust him, he would have been about to bear that, but not now. They didn't have that luxury.

 _Looks like I'm going to have to frighten him a little bit._ Dazai thought as he took a step into the cell. _It'll be quick. The doctor mentioned that pressure can calm children down. That's my best shot to get him out of here relatively quietly without making him scared of me for the next few years._ He planned quickly, watching Atsushi stiffen and prepare to dart to a different corner of the cell or leave it altogether.

Atsushi was conflicted to say the least. Dazai was Dazai. He was a guardian, a protector, to Atsushi. But now… After everything that had happened… After being taken, being hurt, being scared, being told that Dazai would have sold him as well and hearing truth in Akutagawa's words, he didn't know who to trust.

When Dazai had come into the room, Atsushi's first instinct was to run to him, grab onto him, and let Dazai pick him up and take him home, but Atsushi couldn't do that. He couldn't even speak. Fear crept into his mind.

 _Dazai was likely going to sell you to the client as well._

Those words didn't stop ringing in Atsushi's head. They resounded in his brain, screaming at him, reminding him of how he couldn't hear a trace of a lie.

When Dazai stepped into the cell, Atsushi almost felt all of his fear confirmed. He wasn't sure why, but alarms seemed to go off in his mind. _Danger! Danger! Danger!_ Even though he'd only associated Dazai with danger before he even knew him.

"Calm down, Atsushi," Dazai said gently, extending a hand. "Everything's okay now." Atsushi felt frozen. Akutagawa's words echoing in his head endlessly. Would Dazai hurt him too? The child dashed, trying to run past Dazai and out of the cell to find somewhere, anywhere, safe. He didn't make it far, Dazai grabbed him by the shoulder.

Lucky for Atsushi, it was his unafflicted shoulder. He screamed regardless, trying to hit Dazai with his one arm that didn't hurt when he moved it, which had absolutely no effect on the man. His heart was beating hard and fast as he fought the first person who'd ever shown him kindness. Tears ran down Atsushi's face as his attack did nothing to free him from Dazai's grip, which wasn't hard or overly tight, just very firm.

Dazai looked down on him with a serious expression before kneeling to be at eye level with him and pulling him close. He held him gently, but his grip was strong and unwavering. He was careful to avoid the child's injured arm. Atsushi still struggled to free himself, but he couldn't match Dazai's strength. " Shh… It's okay," Dazai whispered, stroking Atsushi's hair and rocking slightly. "I'm not going to hurt you, Atsushi. It's all okay now." Atsushi stopped fighting him, but remained rigid in Dazai's arms. "I know they told you bad things about me. I know they hurt you, and you're scared. I'm sorry."

That was when Atsushi broke. He cried, sobbing, feeling the sting of tears in his eyes, resting his head against Dazai's chest, his tears soaking through his shirt. He didn't know why he was crying so hard. He felt safe there, being held by Dazai. It felt so familiar, and so protective, but still he bawled his eyes out. Maybe it was the relief of remembering what safety felt like, maybe it was the guilt for ever thinking Dazai would hurt him or sell him to bad people. "You're okay," Dazai murmured soothingly, standing up, securely holding Atsushi to his chest. "We're going home."

Atsushi suddenly felt Dazai tense. "But first," he said, his voice going hard. "There's something I have to do." He set Atsushi down, much to the boy's confusion and dismay. Then Atsushi saw the reason why Dazai had tensed. Akutagawa stood there, just outside the bars.

Atsushi felt like his blood had gone cold. He shied back, his fingers wrapped around Dazai's. "Hey, Atsushi," Dazai said, smiling. Atsushi blinked, not understanding how Dazai could smile as if nothing was wrong. He shrugged off his coat and put it over the child's head. "Listen to me, don't look until I come to get you, okay? Keep the coat over your head."

Atsushi shook with fear, keeping a deathgrip on Dazai's hand. The man sighed, gently prying Atsushi's fingers from his. "I promise, this will be over soon. I just want you to stay there, okay?"

He reluctantly nodded, his head covered by the coat. Dazai patted Atsushi's head gently. "It'll be fine," he reassured before leaving the cell. "Just don't look." Atsushi curled into a ball, letting the folds of Dazai's coat cover him.

"It's been a long time," Dazai said evenly. His former apprentice stared at his with hate filled eyes, saying nothing yet. "Was that your plan?" He gestured to Atsushi, who still hid under his coat. "Turn him against me?" He chuckled slightly. "I'll admit, it stung a little, but in the end, it got you nowhere." Dazai cracked his knuckles. "In fact, it brought us right back to where we were four years ago."

Akutagawa looked at him seriously. "You committed a grave sin: Leaving the Port Mafia and reappearing as an enemy."

Dazai shrugged. "Yeah, life happens." He casually stretched out his arms. "What was your reason for kidnapping Atsushi? To get back at me? That's petty, even for you."

Akutagawa scoffed. "As if I cared enough about you to go through the trouble. I simply followed an order."

Dazai tilted his head when Akutagawa said nothing more, keeping his eyes on the tendrils of Rashomon hovering behind him. "Would you care to elaborate?" _He should know by now not to try and attack me with his ability._ Dazai forced himself not to look back at Atsushi. _No, he's not planning on attacking me. He's too smart for that. If he doesn't strike at me, he'll go after Atsushi. He must know that he heals quickly by now._

"I would not," responded Akutagawa, his ability hurtling toward Atsushi. It came within a few feet of him before dissolving into the air. He looked down to see Dazai's fingertips just brushing his wrist.

 _Just made it._ Dazai thought, silently releasing a breath of relief. A sudden hit landed on his abdomen, knocking the breath from his lungs. He ignored the pain, and straightened. He punched Akutagawa hard in the face, sending him skidding backward. "You may have climbed the ranks, but you're still nowhere close to surpassing me."

His former apprentice coughed up blood and spat out a tooth, but ran at him despite his injury. "I'll kill you," he growled, falling back on his instincts and retaliating with his ability. Dazai didn't flinch when strands of Rashomon sharpened to points to impale him. Without the power of _No Longer Human,_ he would have been skewered right there, but the Rashomon vanished as soon as it got within a foot of him.

 _Still an idiot.._ Dazai came at him before he had time to react, grabbing him by the collar of his coat and forcing his knee into Akutagawa's stomach. More blood ran from his mouth as Dazai threw him a few feet. _I'm getting out of shape._ He thought, remembering the days when he could easily toss his student across the room.

Akutagawa struggled to get back up. He was taking more damage than he'd been used to as of late. Without Dazai around to beat him to a bloody pulp and restrain his ability, he'd become more dependent on Rashomon. The shadowy fabric stretched to the cell in the back of the room. The boy obviously meant something to Dazai. If Akutagawa could just reach him, just make him bleed, he could actually get inside his old teacher's head, hurt him.

Dazai's shoe suddenly slammed into Akutagawa's sternum. He coughed up blood, feeling like he was drowning in it. His Rashomon disintegrated and he swore through the sound of his blood gurgling in his throat. "Really, Boy, is that any way to speak to your master?" Dazai said in a low voice, his foot pressing harder and harder into Akutagawa's chest.

"You ceased to be my master years ago," he managed through the pain as he tried to throw Dazai off balance. It didn't work, the pressure on his chest only increased, making it harder and harder to breath.

"Really?" The pressure eased and Akutagawa drew a breath in. Dazai kicked him hard in the ribs, which was accompanied by a cracking sound. Akutagawa grunted, keeping quiet. "It's funny you say that when I'm in the middle of teaching you a lesson," Dazai said as he landed another kick to his ribs and grabbed Akutagawa by his coat again, hauling him into a sitting position. "You're going to answer me right now. Why did you abduct the child?" The apprentice said nothing at first and Dazai frowned, before hitting him in the side of his head, a blow that made his ears ring. "Keep up the silence and you'll wind up losing a limb."

Akutagawa gagged up more blood, drops of it landing on Dazai's face. "H-He has a bounty on his head." He coughed again, sending more blood everywhere. "Seven billion."

"Hmm…" Dazai hummed, releasing his apprentice's coat and letting him fall back, crack his head on the floor. "That's quite generous." He sighed and looked over his shoulder. "Atsushi," he called, his voice suddenly gentle, but stern. "Head under the coat." Akutagawa could see the child shift, hiding his face under Dazai's coat. Dazai gave a small laugh. "Kids these days," he muttered with a smile.

Rage burned in Akutagawa. "I'm going to kill that brat," he managed, blood running from his lips.

A hand got tangled in his hair, yanking it, turning his head so Dazai could look him in the face. "That's just a bad attitude." He delivered a hard punch to Akutagawa's stomach. His face contorted in pain. More hair pulling, more pain, more blood. "If you ever hurt him again, I _will_ make sure a few bullets get past your little force field." Akutagawa didn't show any sign of fear and Dazai clicked his tongue boredly. He looked at his student's limp form on the ground before straightening one of Akutagawa's arms, bending one of his legs, and rolling him onto his side, allowing him to cough up blood freely without it pooling in his throat. "You have probably," he began, glancing at his wrist as though he wore a watch. "A minute or so before you pass out." He rose from his knees. "We'll take our leave now."

"Why?"

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

Akutagawa coughed up blood, feeling everything hurt, feeling himself bleed internally, seeing his vision begin to lose focus. "Why is it him?" Dazai didn't respond, his footfalls kept resounding. Akutagawa swallowed as he heard his former teacher instruct the child to keep his eyes covered and not to look at their surroundings. "Why do you care? Why did you come to get him?" No response. "WHY IS IT HIM?!" His world was growing dimmer, fading out of focus. His throat had been reduced to sandpaper when he yelled.

Dazai walked past him, carrying that wretched child, Akutagawa could guess that much. "This is just how it panned out," Dazai said finally, his voice at normal volume though it sounded miles away to Akutagawa.

There wasn't too much time left before Dazai was supposed to meet Kunikida. Port Mafia members swarmed the front of the building. Not quite _swarmed_ , they casually walked and passed through the front of the building. Getting in had been easy enough. Dazai could blend in well and he'd just pretended like he knew people. Walking out with a bloodied child who was supposed to be sold off, was a bit of a different situation.

Luckily, Dazai had anticipated this. "Atsushi," he said to the child huddled against his chest. "It's going to get a little loud. Don't worry, it's nothing." He flattened himself against a wall and pulled a remote from his coat. "One… Two… Three," he muttered so Atsushi would be at least a little prepared.

 _Boom!_ The first of the bombs that he'd set in the closet went off, followed by several other explosions. Atsushi clung more tightly to Dazai. "It's fine," Dazai said, tightening his grip on Atsushi regardless of how little danger they were in.

He peered out from behind the wall, watching people flee from the building. So much distraction and chaos. No one would notice one random guy holding a tiny, whimpering bundle to his chest.

He sprinted out to the street where Kunikida waited at a stop light. "What took you so long?" He asked irritatedly after Dazai shut the door. "You're twenty seven seconds late. If the traffic today had been better, we'd have a harder time escaping without their notice."

"Right, right," Dazai muttered, leaning back in the seat, his hold on Atsushi relaxing slightly. He pulled the coat off of the child, who still rested against Dazai. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Dazai asked, gently shifting the child and lifting his chin to see his face. Blood streaked across one of his cheeks, looking severe, but it was also possible that it wasn't his. He didn't respond, Atsushi only held his arm, shrinking away when Dazai's hand came close to it. _Probably a dislocation. I'll let Yosano take care of it._

"Hey, Dazai," Kunikida began. "According to the law, he has to be in a car seat in the back."

"Lessen up on the rules for once, Kunikida," he replied when Atsushi curled up and fell back against him. "We can afford to for today."

 **So, a few things.**

 **A) When I said "pressure," awhile back I learned that this is a thing that calms children down (More or less) Like how it's comforting to have the weight of a blanket on you at night.**

 **B) Kyouka, she might appear later. That is what I'm thinking, but we'll see.**

 **C) (Probably my hardest question) Atsushi: Do we want to tell him about his ability yet?**

 **D) The end with Dazai putting Akutagawa on his side: For those of you who don't know, this is the recovery position. I had to learn this when I became a lifeguard and I remember it well. Here, Dazai is using it so Akutagawa will not, by chance, choke on his own blood and die there. This is used if someone is breathing, but unresponsive, so if they have an open airway or so if they throw up, they don't choke on it.**

 **E** **) (More of a thing for anyone up to date on the manga) ASDFGHJKLY8UIJKHGFJKDIHGFJIKH! IDK HOW TO EVEN REACT! 138! WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?!**

 **That's it for now. It is too late for me to be up and I may or may not be coherent for class tomorrow! =p Thank you so much for your reviews and support. I could never have made it this far without you guys! Please review!See ya!**


	15. Square One

**Responses**

 **EvilMindedZ: I know. You're generally a very cold hearted person...**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Your review actually gave me a few ideas for later chapters, so I'll be excited to keep that in mind. Thanks!**

 **Guest: Well... We're working through that whole thing. Atsushi does trust Dazai again at this point, but... he's still not 100% recovered, but there are still a few things that he'll hide.**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Awww... Thank you! I had to get myself in a dark place to write that. (Listening to sad music, reading some stuff I wrote awhile back, unleashing my stress, and stuff) Glad it paid off!**

 **jilnachtaugen: I'm happy the beat down satisfied you! It was fun to write, but at the same time very painful... What happened to Akutagawa is generally what happens to my protagonists in a rough spot. It was weird writing that for someone who actually had it coming... Atsushi might ask eventually, he is for sure curious about it.**

 **KijoKuroi: I also felt a little with Akutagawa in the last chapter. I told myself that the recovery position thing at the end was a means of making it right. Atsushi may or may not bring that up... Probably will... I don't know. I'm working it out. =P**

 **Heyy... I'm working pretty fast, popping out another chapter, writing a little between episodes of** ** _House._** **Also, remember how I said it was too late for me to be up at the end of the previous chapter?**

 **Yeah... Turns out I actually** _ **was**_ **up too late... I kind of missed class that following morning. I'm not proud of that...**

 **So, anyway, we got Atsushi back. Yay! Onto the next chapter!**

"It's okay," Dazai said, holding Atsushi's unafflicted shoulder when when he pulled away from the doctor's hands. He rubbed circles into Atsushi's back soothingly. "You met Akina, didn't you?" Atsushi didn't say anything, he only tensed at the name. Dazai gave an exasperated sigh, the child meeting the Port Mafia's medic only complicated things, and it would explain why he had such an aversion to Doctor Yosano and the infirmary now.

The smell of antiseptic had clung to Akina's hands, and the same smell lingered on nearly everything in the infirmary. It wasn't quite as sharp and irritating as the citrus scent in the prison, but assuming that Atsushi had a bad experience with Akina, which was more than likely, chances were that the antiseptic smell would have more of a bad impression on him.

His whole twenty minutes back at the Agency had been rough. It started with everyone gathering around him to see if he was alright, which he didn't mind, it only left him a bit overwhelmed. Then, Dazai had taken him to the infirmary and he'd been less than willing to enter thanks to the chemical smell. Doctor Yosano hadn't wanted to pop his arm back into place before they knew that a dislocation was his only problem, so he had to get an xray taken, which required him to be undressed (a very difficult and painful process with a dislocated shoulder) and in a hospital gown. In the time they were getting him in the gown, the doctor had swabbed inside his mouth and taken some blood, a part that he _really_ didn't like. The x ray process itself required Dazai to leave his side for a little bit. At this point, he was very clearly exhausted and didn't want to be in the infirmary a moment longer.

"You know, this would go faster if you just let me-" the doctor began.

"No. He's traumatized enough as it it," Dazai cut her off. "Assuming he continues to live here, it's best we don't give him too many negative memories of this place."

Yosano sighed. "You're no fun." She set the x ray sheets aside, and let a moment of silence pass. "He's lucky," she said. "This could have been worse. It all could have been a lot worse." Another silent moment before she explained to Atsushi that she would make his arm feel better.

He shied away, cradling his arm. Despite knowing her, and trusting her to some degree, he would absolutely not allow her near his arm. "Atsushi," Dazai coaxed. "It's going to be fine, she just needs to make your arm stop hurting. You want it to feel better, don't you?" No response.

"You might want to hold him," she suggested. "Help him calm down."

Dazai nodded and seated himself on the edge of the bed next to Atsushi before gently picking him up and placing him on his lap. "It's all okay, Atsushi," he muttered, firmly prying Atsushi's undamaged arm away from his shoulder. He held him semi-tightly to keep him from squirming too much. "Atsushi, calm down," Dazai said when Atsushi struggled against him. "This'll be quick and you'll feel better."

No sooner had he said that, the doctor grabbed his arm and swiftly reset it. Atsushi screamed, throwing himself back, away from Yosano, his head hitting Dazai's chest. "All done," Doctor Yosano said, spreading out her arms. "You did great." She ruffled Atsushi's hair and he glared at her.

"You could have given some warning," Dazai said as he loosened his hold on the boy. Atsushi still held his shoulder, but his face was no longer pinched in pain. Dazai looked down at him. "You feeling better now?" Atsushi nodded.

"Well, this got it done faster," the doctor responded. "He'll be fine as long as he doesn't move his arm too much. Should be completely healed soon, his ability will take care of the damaged ligaments." Striped tiger ears popped into existence atop his head and twitched at the mention of an ability. He reached behind him and pulled at Dazai's shirt as if to ask him what she meant.

Dazai didn't look down at him or respond to the tugging on his shirt. "True, that'll making healing quick. Is there any issue with the swabs? Is he infected with anything?"

"Doesn't look like it. All things considered, he seems fine." The doctor raised an eyebrow and discreetly gestured to the cat ears.

"It happens," he replied to her questioning look. "That's a relief." Dazai finally looked down at Atsushi and smiled. "We were worried for a little bit." Atsushi still didn't say anything. Dazai sighed and put a hand on his head, the black and white striped ears vanished. "Are you still not talking?" He gently raised Atsushi's face so he could look at him. "Can you say something for me?"

Atsushi stared at him in silence. Normally, he would say something, but it was like something stuck in his throat, keeping him quiet. Every time he even thought about speaking, he remembered the tiny box, the pain in his arm, and that burning sensation in the pit of his stomach.

He opened his mouth, but that tight feeling in his chest took over again, and he only managed a small whimper.

Dazai exhaled heavily and hopped off of the bed. "It's alright," he said, lifting Atsushi up. "It's okay. Don't rush yourself." Atsushi trembled a little, feeling like he was suddenly back in the box, back getting slapped by Akina and stabbed by Akutagawa.

 _Back to square one._ Dazai thought, suppressing a sigh. They'd been doing so well, Atsushi had been developing his own interests, forming opinions, becoming just slightly less dependent on Dazai, and now, based on the way he clung to him, they were back at the start. "It's time for bed," Dazai said, tightening his hold on Atsushi to calm him down. He turned to the doctor, thanked her, and left.

"It's good to be back, isn't it?" Dazai said as they walked through the door. Atsushi didn't reply. He tugged at Dazai's shirt again, and pointed ahead of them. "You want to see Neko?" Dazai asked, taking him over to look at his fish. Atsushi traced his finger along the glass, watching his betta follow the movement. _At least that hasn't changed._ Dazai thought. "I think Neko missed you a lot." He let Atsushi play with his fish a little while longer before he said it was time to get to bed.

It took Atsushi a long time to actually go down. At first he wouldn't stay put, going to Dazai and acting like he wanted water or to go to the bathroom. Later, he was tossing and turning. Eventually, he settled down, but he tended to whimper every few minutes.

Dazai went to bed an hour or so later. His eyes closed, but he stayed awake for a long time. He wasn't thinking hard about what had happened to Atsushi. When the child was ready to talk, he'd probably wind up saying everything. Or they'd get lucky and his brain would repress the memories.

Something stuck in his mind though.

Who would put forth seven billion for a tiger? Someone who wanted to build an army of powerful ability users? Someone who just wanted a big cat to show off? Dazai exhaled slowly through his mouth. That could be a big problem for them.

He felt something move near him. His hand met Atsushi's head. _Yeah…_ He thought tiredly. _I saw this coming from a mile away._

"Atsushi," he whispered, glancing down at him. The child shifted in response. "Another nightmare?" Atsushi shook his head and Dazai sighed.

"You just couldn't sleep, could you?"

Silence.

"Are you too scared to sleep?"

A whimper escaped from Atsushi's throat, which Dazai took as a yes. He let his hand rest against Atsushi's head. "I'm here now. I'll make sure you're safe." He closed his eyes. "Go to sleep now."

 **Well, there you have it... We are back to square one. Painful, but really I don't think this is too much of a surprise. After the intensity that was the abduction and stuff... I feel like I have to write a chapter or two to kind of let the dust settle.**

 **I was thinking about** ** _House_** **earlier and how someone has a seizure in almost every episode and I was like, "Hey, there's Atsushi..."**

 **So, yeah... That's abo- OH! KEKKAI SENSEN SEASON 2! Episode 1 was great! Missed Leo so much! He's like Atsushi with brown hair to me...**

 **Thank you so much for all of the review! I never expected so many people to like this fanfiction and I am thrilled at so much feedback!**

 **Please Review! (It makes me write faster)**

 **See ya next time!**


	16. Good Nights and Bad Nights

**Response**

 **Guest: Aww... Thank you! And LOL! I have no plans on giving up on this story!**

 **MissMouette: Thanks so much. That was my goal!**

 **quest: Well, here's the next chapter! =D**

 **Guest: He'll recover. On the way to recovery. I've actually been meaning to write that.. The Agency is actually pretty protective of him and I want to get some chapters of him with the rest of them and those interaction. Thank you for the KUDOS!**

 **Guest: Thanks!**

 **jilnachtaugen: This sounds weird coming from a Nursing major, but I'm happy I was able to make your heart hurt. He'll be normal in a few chapters... We'll see how long that takes... =P Oh yeah, Kyouka will come back.**

 **Guest: I feel it wouldn't be right to leave a child mute like that... He'll talk eventually, might take him some time to talk about his little experience with the Port Mafia though.**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Yeah... Sometimes I feel like a bad person doing this, but I've learned to happily accept this. Writers make characters suffer and characters make writers feel attachments to fiction people and feel a cold empty void when they remember that this great, amazing world that they've been writing isn't real... I think it evens out.**

 **EvilMindedZ: You always want to hug the small adorable children or somewhat adult characts just like how I want to dissect things and play with the bones I saw on the side of the road when I went on a road... I want to glue them back together...**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Yeah. The whole seizure thing... Maybe later in this fanfic. I'd feel too bad if I did it now. As for sleeping through class, I actually woke up in time to take a test, so success there. Leo is adorable. The ending of Kekkai Sensen season 1 is one of my favorite songs. I actually tried to figure out a flag routine for it... I should finalize that.(I was in Winterguard.)**

 **KijoKuroi: The ears... Hahaha... I actually plan on making that a running gag in this fanfiction. I'm still figuring out revealing his power. I'm not sure if I want to now or have Dazai wait a few years... Fictional parenting decisions are tough...**

 **Hi! I finally got this chapter typed out and I was bored tonight, so... Here I am.**

 **May I just say: WOW! 11 reviews on the last chapter. That's a record for this fanfiction! Love your support so much! Love you guys!**

There were good nights and there were bad nights.

On the good nights, Dazai only had to deal with Atsushi kicking in his sleep or whimpering.

The bad nights were harder.

Dazai never knew exactly what Atsushi dreamt about, but he could guess it was about him because during those nights, Atsushi looked at Dazai the way he had in the Mafia's prison. He would distance himself from Dazai as much as possible, pressing himself into a corner, crying whenever Dazai came too close. Most of the time, he only did this for a few minutes before remembering where he was and running to Dazai and holding onto him. Other times, it lasted an hour.

It came as no surprise that Atsushi was more… _clingy_ after his encounter with the Port Mafia. He was constantly next to Dazai, refusing let him out of sight.

Dazai typed out a report, switching to a computer game whenever Kunikida wasn't looking. Atsushi shaded in shapes in a coloring book. His guardian glanced over at him. _He's using a lot more red than he used to._ His change in color preference could have been nothing, but on the other hand, it could mean some bad psychological issues. _I should get him to a child therapist or something…_

"Dazai," Kunikida said from across the room. Dazai shut the tab he'd been gaming on and turned to him. He gestured his partner over. Dazai groaned, guessing that someone had filed another complaint against him.

"Can I just write an apology note and call it a day?" He called back.

"Even though you're overdue for seven apology letters, that's not what this is about." Kunikida gestured to Atsushi.

"Oh. Okay." He pushed himself off his chair and took a step forward.

Atsushi looked at him, and started to jump off of his chair as well, but Dazai put a hand in front of him. "Stay here," he said quietly. Atsushi shook his head and put his arms up for Dazai to carry him. "No," he responded, keeping his voice calm and making Atsushi lower his arms. "I'm not even leaving the room. You're still safe. Everything's okay." Atsushi was less than convinced, he grabbed Dazai's coat. "I just need to talk to Kunikida." He pointed to his partner and pulled Atsushi's hand from his coat. "Just keep coloring."

"Not adjusting well, is he?" Kunikida remarked when Dazai finally managed to leave his desk.

"Can't say it surprises me. Akutagawa was the one who took him, that's terrifying for anybody." He glanced back at Atsushi, who stared at him. "So, what is it?"

"Well, all the paperwork got through, the Agency officially adopted him."

Dazai smiled. "That's great! Sure took a long time though."

"Yes, but this isn't set in stone," Kunikida responded in a serious voice. His voice went a level lower. "He can still get taken away from us if the Agency doesn't meet certain standards as his guardian."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Dazai said happily. "The Agency is a great guardian."

"He literally got kidnapped last week."

Dazai patted Kunikida's shoulder. "Oh, Kunikida. What the government doesn't know won't kill them." His face turned serious when he looked back at Atsushi. "They _can't_ know," he said in a low voice. "He's a tiger, he can't control his abilities, doesn't even know he has them. He's dangerous when I'm not there to control his power."

"But the Port Mafia kidnapped a _child,"_ Tanizaki said from behind them. "We can't try to get them in trouble with the police?"

Dazai sighed. "Unfortunately, no. Technically speaking, I _did_ kidnap him from the orphanage, and that could be an issue if the police found out."

Tanizaki frowned. "But you had a good reason, he was being abused."

"Yeah, I doubt that would matter. I still literally grabbed him and carried him out of there. The agency would take a hit."

Kenji suddenly popped up next to Tanizaki. "Do you think you should have waited and actually adopted him?"

Dazai released a half laugh. "Are you crazy? This complicates matters, but pulling him out of there ASAP was definitely the best course of action." He turned to Kunikida. "So, that's it, keep him safe, clothed, and fed? Do what we've been doing?"

"Pretty much. Some agents might come to make sure he's okay here, so we need to be prepared for that."

Dazai made a face. "If that was it, you could have just written it on a piece of paper and thrown a paper airplane at me."

Kenji laughed. "Kunikida would burn before he throws a paper airplane."

"Must be his teacher instincts," Tanizaki commented.

Kunikida glared. "What are you lot even doing here?!" No response. "Get back to work!" The crowd dispersed.

Atsushi was still watched, waiting for Dazai to come back. "See?" Dazai said, ruffling Atsushi's hair. "I didn't leave. Just had to go talk." He glanced at the clock. _This is boring… I think it's time to go._ "Atsushi," Dazai whispered. The child looked up and Dazai extended his arms, and Atsushi leaned forward for Dazai to pick him up. "Okay," he said when Atsushi was on his lap. "I'm going to teach you something really fun, but you have to follow my lead for this to work, got it?" Atsushi nodded.

"Where are you going?" Kunikida questioned when Dazai left his desk, carrying Atsushi. "You still have work. Are you teaching him to ditch work?!"

"What?" Dazai responded, an offended expression etched into his features. "I can hardly believe you would accuse me of such an atrocity!" Kunikida raised his eyebrows and Dazai sighed. "Atsushi has to go to the bathroom," he said, lowering his voice. Atsushi made a face of discomfort and frantically tapped Dazai's shoulder as if to ask him to hurry up. Dazai glanced at him, startled. "Right, we're going!"

"I did not know you could act that well," Dazai stated when they were out of the building. "Even I was convinced, and I was the one who asked you to do it." Atsushi said nothing, just tapped on Dazai's shoulder. "Do you actually have to go?" The man asked. Atsushi shook his head and pointed above Dazai's shoulder.

"Ah, okay." He stopped walking and helped Atsushi sit atop his shoulders, something he hadn't done since before the abduction. "You seem better," Dazai said as he started to walk again, heading home. He'd read that in rehab, it was important to focus on the successes rather than the shortcomings. "You're not too afraid to leave the dorm anymore. You still hang out at the Agency. _You haven't said a word for the past week or so, and I'm worried._ He didn't say that last one, rushing Atsushi to speaking could be a mistake. It could push him back.

They made it home and Dazai let Atsushi off his shoulders so he could feed Neko, which seemed to be one of the only things that stayed normal about him.

After a long afternoon of playing board games, watching TV, and reading picture books, Dazai got Atsushi to bed, hoping it would be one of the good nights. He seemed pretty calm before going down, so it was possible that he would have a peaceful night's rest.

.

.

.

No such luck. It was two in the morning when Dazai woke up to Atsushi struggling to get out from under his arm. Dazai sighed. _And it's a bad night…_ He thought tiredly. _...Dang it._ "Atsushi, calm down," he muttered in a soothing tone. "Everything's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

He wasn't listening. He kept writhing against Dazai's arm trying to free himself before biting down hard enough to draw blood. Dazai winced, and lifted his arm, feeling the blood . Atsushi scrambled up and ran to the door before figuring out that Dazai had locked it and he was too short to reach the lock. He then ran to the other side of the room, as far away from Dazai as he could get. He remained there for a few minutes, his muscles tense, his breathing shallow.

Dazai didn't move. He didn't get up to tend to his wound, which was now bleeding through his shirt. He didn't try to go near Atsushi. He already knew from experience that Atsushi would panic if he did that. So, he waited, counting the minutes, waiting for Atsushi to return to the present.

Eleven minutes.

Atsushi blinked a few times, trying to piece together where he was and what was happening. Then he raced toward Dazai, flying into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. He grabbed onto Dazai as tightly as his little arms would allow as if to beg for his forgiveness.

Dazai held him and rocked a little. "It's all okay. You're safe. No one here is going to hurt you."

Atsushi pulled away a little, his eyes fixed on the blood on Dazai's arm. He sank a little, leaning against Dazai. "I'm sorry," he said weakly, his voice was so slight that Dazai thought he'd only imagined it. Then more tears. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"You finally talked," Dazai murmured, the corners of his lips turning upward. He held Atsushi tighter. "It's okay, Atsushi. This isn't your fault. _None_ of this is your fault."

 **That's it for now! I was originally going to make Atsushi talk later, but I just kind of backed myself into a corner for this one... So, he'll be talking more... I want to bring Kyouka back and Akutagawa will probably make a reappearance in a chapter or two. I have plans... many, many plans. Hopefully more fluff... This pain has been a little taxing...**

 **Ummm... I've been on a three day weekend, so I am more or less normal... Studying for a Biology exam has taken up a lot of my weekend... ATP! WE NEED TO BREATH BECAUSE THE OXYGEN ACTS AS AN ELECTRON ACCPETOR IN CELLULAR RESPIRATION!**

 **(Study method: Type yell stuff to the void of the internet.)**

 **Anyway, I'm open to any ideas for this still... I had a few ideas that may occur way later. Thank you so much! Hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review! God bless!**


	17. Broken Bones and Burns

**Response**

 **Shikkaku: He really does! I give my love, but I also make him hurt. I'm sure it's out of love somewhat... Thank you!**

 **AndurilofTolkien: Thanks!**

 **Alex Darklight: I do want more of Kyouka in here for sure! Atsushi has recovered more by this chapter. He's somewhat back to normal...**

 **EvilMindedZ: I CAN TEACH HIM WHATEVER I WANT! We all know the things I do to characters.**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Yes! (Just to let you know the emotions are not over yet...) I wanted more Leo...**

 **Guest: Yeah... We're getting closer with that. He's growing up and in the direction this is going in, Dazai is going to have to help him with a few things coming up.**

 **kate: Glad you liked it!**

 **MissMouette: Haha! Then, hopefully you like this chapter... =D**

 **jilnachtaugen: Dazai is dad now! Haha! It's my goal to make people feel things! Glad you like it!**

 **KijoKuroi: Haha.. Studying... Yeah... I don't do very many time skips, but there's some recovery, but he still has some problems to work through.**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Glad I made you melt. =P**

 **Happy Halloween! Currently, I am Atsushi... All dressed up and stuff... Yeah, Halloween.**

 **It feels like it's been way too long since I posted, but this chapter did take some time. I would have posted sooner, but I like to post at the beginning or end of months and on holidays (Don't use that as a reference. Unfortunately, I'm not onw of those people who can post consistently.)**

 **Hope you guys like it!**

Kyouka pressed a chunk of ice to her bruised cheek, her face indifferent as the cold touched the tender spot on her face.

All things considered, she was lucky. Nothing was permanently damaged. No internal bleeding. Only a few cracked ribs and broken finger. Akutagawa had held back. If he'd really been serious about punishing her for trying to leave the Port Mafia, he would have killed her. But even that would have gotten him nowhere, he was too smart for that. He was too smart to fulfill almost exactly what Kyouka wanted.

When she'd first come to the Port Mafia, Kyouka only had one objective. She'd wanted to avenge her parents by killing the demon that had killed them and then, she wanted to die. As far as she knew, the man wouldn't kill her until she'd outlived her use for the Port Mafia. She'd live as long as there were enemies to kill.

 _This isn't what I wanted…_ She thought guiltily, feeling their blood stick to her hands. It seemed so simple at first, but being used to kill people didn't come without a cost. Those faces haunted her dreams, they asked why she had killed them. And every time she gave an answer that hardly seemed to justify her actions. "I had to."

She knew that trying to run had been a bad idea and when she really thought out her reasons for running, they all wound back to the weretiger and that man.

 _You don't really want to do this… I know how that is._

There had been a look in his eyes, a serious, understanding look. Kyouka had known it then. That man, the one who'd come for the child had once been in the Port Mafia… And he had left. How? Kyouka couldn't say. Maybe that made her try to leave despite the odds. No one simply left the Mafia behind, not without finding themselves with a broken jaw and three bullet holes through their chest.

Akutagawa had been merciful, bringing her back and reprimanding her. If she had been turned over to the rest of the Mafia they would have killed her.

"I'm not killing you yet," Akutagawa had said as his Rashomon snapped Kyouka's fingers. "Not while there's still a use for you." He'd held her by the throat and broke another finger. "You can't leave without us knowing. There's a transmitter in your body, telling us exactly what you say and where you are." Kyouka's vision was beginning to grow spotty. "Let this act as a warning, Kyouka." He dropped her and sent her to Akina.

… Maybe merciful was a strong word….

Her fingers were mangled and swollen. They couldn't bend around her sword anymore. A clear message: They were only keeping her for her ability. He'd broken her fingers so she couldn't fight against him again. _He_ was the one who controlled her ability. And now, _he_ was the one who controlled her.

Now, Kyouka sat in her small chamber, staring at her fingers that had been painstakingly set back into place and taped up. For now at least, she wouldn't be able to fight back. Akutagawa hadn't been precise enough to make sure the damage was permanent. A few weeks before she could take the splints off and move them again. The ice had melted against the heat of her skin, the water leaving her fingers and cheek wet.

 _He really taught Akutagawa…_ She thought when she remembered a few of the things she'd heard after Dazai had knocked her out. It made some sense to her. When she'd looked into his eyes, there was kindness, but there was something deeper and darker. She's seen a ruthless glint, and something else that she couldn't quite place, something that had struck fear in her heart.

"Kyouka," Akutagawa's voice came from before her, his form was hidden in the darkness. She looked up from her fingers and stiffened. "New assignment." The echo of his voice and footsteps bounced around the walls. She didn't respond to him, nor did he expect a response from her. Kyouka simply got to her feet and waited for him to unlock the door.

"Atsushi," Dazai muttered frustratedly as he grabbed the child around the waist, yanked him away from the stove, turned on the faucet, and firmly grasped Atsushi's wrist to thrust his hand under the cool running water. "What did I tell you about going near the stove?" Atsushi said nothing as he watched water run over his burnt hands. "Atsushi," Dazai repeated more sternly. "What did I say about the stove?"

"Not to touch it," the boy mumbled regretfully. He was beginning to squirm in the awkward position he was in. He was horizontal, held in place effortlessly by Dazai's arm.

"Then _why_ did you touch it?" Dazai asked, exasperated. Atsushi lowered his hands, letting them leave the stream of cool water. "Keep them under the water," he said firmly, pushing the boy's hands to prompt them to return to the water. Atsushi reluctantly obeyed, though his arms must have been getting tired.

"I want to go down," he said, keeping his hands under the running water.

"I'm not letting you down until you answer the question."

Atsushi seemed pretty indignant to that response and he writhed against Dazai's arm for a minute or two before letting his body go limp and groaning. "I wanted to see the water bubble," he muttered in defeat. "Can I go down now?"

Dazai sighed and lowered Atsushi to the ground. "We've talked about this. You don't go near boiling water." The child looked away, tears lingering at the corners of his eyes. Dazai took a big breath in as if to signal that he was done scolding Atsushi for touching the stove.

"Let's see your hands," Dazai said, holding his own bandaged hands out. Atsushi showed his palms, which were marred with blotchy red patches. _Could be worse._ He thought with relief. "Okay," he breathed. "They aren't too bad."

"They hurt," Atsushi said softly, wincing as he flexed his fingers. He looked down at his hands, at the layers of skin that had begun to peel.

Dazai scooped Atsushi off the ground again and slung him over his shoulder. He was gentle about it, but that didn't seem to make much of a difference to the child. "We'll get some stuff to put on it."

Atsushi made a sound of annoyance and squirmed again. "Put me down!"

"I'm not leaving you near the kitchen again," Dazai responded, oblivious to Atsushi's annoyed sounds. "This is what happens when you touch the stove."

He carried Atsushi to an Aloe Vera plant that he kept near the window before breaking off a leaf and letting him down. He hadn't carried him a far distance, just across the room, but it was enough to make Atsushi less than happy, and as far as Dazai was concerned, it was a fitting punishment for touching the stove.

He pulled the aloe leave apart and smeared the insides onto Atsushi's hands. "That feel better?" He asked. Atsushi nodded. Dazai pulled out a roll of bandages from a dresser drawer and began winding them around Atsushi's hands, binding the leaf to Atsushi's hands. "Are you going to touch the stove again?" He asked, tying off the bandage.

"No."

"Good." He spread some extra aloe gel on Atsushi's fingers, which were already beginning to heal. "I don't want you to get hurt like that again." He released Atsushi's hands. "Please don't do stuff like that any more. You were okay this time, but it could have been _a lot_ worse."

"Okay," Atsushi responded quietly, poking his bandaged palms, feeling the pain ebb away.

"Good," Dazai said again, ruffling Atsushi's hair. "Sorry for freaking out." He was going to get back to the kitchen, while keeping an eye on Atsushi, of course. Raising him outside of the Agency office was tougher than it should have been, especially as Atsushi got more adventurous.

"I'm like you!" Atsushi exclaimed happily, raising his bandaged hands and waving at Dazai. His mood suddenly lightening and he grinned.

Dazai forced a smile that looked real, suddenly more aware of the wrappings on his arms and neck. "Yeah," he said in a cheery tone. _Seriously… Don't end up like me._ He thought grimly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"What ability do I have?" Atsushi asked suddenly. Tiger ears twitched into existence on his head. When Dazai didn't respond immediately, Atsushi continued. "The doctor said I have an ability. Is that why they put me in a box? And called me a tiger?"

Dazai still hadn't asked about what had happened in Atsushi's time in the Port Mafia. As much as he wanted to know, there was no need to force Atsushi to relive that experience. He'd been hoping to avoid the topic of his ability until the child was old enough to really understand it.

Atsushi must have read into Dazai's silence because he looked up at him with innocent eyes. "Please tell me."

"We don't know too much about your ability yet," Dazai responded. He could see that Atsushi was remembering his time as a prisoner of the Port Mafia. Every time he had that flashback, he'd get a strange look on his face. A scared, damaged look. This sort of thing happened every so often. He'd just drop back into the past, into the darkness and fear of his abduction.

He lifted Atsushi off the ground before continuing. The child didn't protest this time. "You heal faster than normal people for one thing." Atsushi blinked, returning to the present. He released a small, relieved breath. "Someone wanted to use your ability for something bad. We don't know who or what yet." Atsushi's fingers brushed Dazai's hand, and the cat ears disappeared. "But we'll figure it out and we'll stop them."

"Will they come back?" Atsushi asked, his voice beginning to tremble. He was back in that scary time again. "I don't want to see them again… I want him to stay away!"

 _Akutagawa specifically..._ "I'll fight them if they do," Dazai comforted, protectively tightening his hold on Atsushi. "Everything will be fine. Trust me."

Atsushi was relatively calm after their talk. Though Dazai hadn't spoken of the true nature of the child's ability, for now, he'd managed to avoid that again. The fact of what he was would be a story for a different time.

He'd responded well, calmly.

 _How long can I hide this from him?_ Dazai asked himself as he laid awake in bed. _They called him what he is… I'm lucky he got distracted and I could dodge the question._ He heard Atsushi shift in his sleep and mutter something. Despite all his worries, Dazai smiled and put a hand on Atsushi's head.

An ache spread through his chest. _He's too young for this._ Dazai thought ruefully. The child was hardly more than six years old. He should have been making friends with other children and exploring everything the world had to offer. Instead, he was having nightmares about the Port Mafia and trying to recover from trauma.

 _I'm sorry…_ He thought as though Atsushi could hear his thoughts.

 _I'm sorry you can't have a normal life._

 _I'm sorry I didn't protect you from the Port Mafia._

 _I'm sorry that your life is only going to get more complicated as you grow up._

 _I'm sorry I have to keep so many secrets from you._

 _I'm sorry I can't take away all your pain._

He had so many things to apologize for, so many things that he could never make up for. Then he mentally apologized for something that stung more than he thought it would.

 _I'm sorry that I have to leave you soon…_

 _Yeah, I'm_ really _sorry for that last one._

 **Haha! You guys probably thought I would let things settle a little more. Nope! EvilMindedZ is already aware of this... I told her before I even got here.**

 **Well, it's not that late by college standards, but I'm tired and my head hurts... So... I'm gonna turn in right now.**

 **Thank you for so much for your support! Love you guys! Please review.**

 **Until next time!**


	18. Talking with the Tiger

**Responses**

 **AndurilofTolkien: Glad you like it.**

 **shikakku: Dazai is mom deep down... Actually kind of experienced this... burned my hands making Raman and my mom made me keep my hands in the water. Granted, I was in High School then and she didn't forcibly pick me up and put aloe on my hands, but I can still draw experience from that.**

 **jilnachtaugen: No. No, I cannot help myself. Darn it! What am I supposed to do with the Guild on my trail?! I'll hide in the Armed Detective Agency!**

 **Guest: Yes, it is kind of sad, but Dazai has to do it to protect the child. I'm definitely getting closer to letting him know about the tiger.**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: I thought I mentioned how evil I can be when I write. =P I can do worse with cliffhangers.**

 **Guest: Thanks! Glad I'm doing something right with these chapters! =D**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Well, Dazai has to leave for a bit. Painful as it is.**

 **kate: I'm happy you like it!**

 ***Cough* Hi, everyone. *Cough* I may or may not be recovering from a cold or something right now. (I am...) This must be what Akutagawa feels like all the time.**

 **So, yeah! I kept writing. I wanted to post this yesterday in celebration of finally taking a Biology test, but I kinda collapsed after I went out to buy cough medicine and stuff. So, here I am, still mildly exhausted, but still writing! Hope everyone likes this chapter!**

"I need you to take Atsushi for a day or so," Dazai said to Kunikida. When his partner made a face, Dazai knew he had to add to his deal. "I'll pay you back whatever he costs you. I _just_ need him off my hands for a little while."

"I thought it was suspicious that you actually did your work today," Kunikida muttered in response, his arms crossed over his chest.

"That was apart of my strategy, yes," Dazai admitted, sighing. "But that's beside the point," he said quickly, drawing the conversation back to the matter at hand. "I _need_ someone responsible to take care of him." He glanced over at Atsushi, who'd fallen back into his normal routine of drawing while Dazai was at work.

"Why don't you ask literally _anyone else_ here?"

Dazai glared slightly. "Trust me, I have good reasons not to. Would you like me to list them?"

Kunikida groaned. "I'm in no mood to talk about this now, Dazai."

Dazai muttered something incomprehensible and his partner ignored him, brushing him off. Dazai shrugged and called Atsushi from across the room. "We're going home." Atsushi jumped off his chair and took Dazai's hand as they walked out.

Atsushi tugged on Dazai's arm. "What's going on?" He asked curiously. The child could normally sense when something was off in some way. The way Dazai had been chatting with Kunikida was a clear indication of something strange going on.

"I'll tell you later," he said back, his voice was troubled and Atsushi frowned. "It's fine," Dazai covered quickly, releasing his hand to put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Just some issues with work. Don't worry about it."

Atsushi looked at his skeptically for a minute before shrugging off the matter.

"Hi there, Tiger," Dazai greeted calmly that night when Atsushi transformed in the moonlight. The white tiger stared at him serenely, tail twitching slightly. It was the first time Dazai had seen him since Atsushi's imprisonment and the beast looked like he was in no mood to tear Dazai apart. He just watched the man with observant eyes.

Taking a step forward would have been risk for anyone else, but Dazai got closer. The tiger didn't react. "You recognize me, don't you?" He said quietly.

No indication of understanding, but Dazai was positive the tiger understood. "You know I'm not a threat now, right?" He extended a hand toward the big cat.

The weretiger bared its teeth, snarling and retreating, its eyes trained on Dazai's fingertips. "Hey, it's okay," Dazai called quickly, putting his hands above his head in a nonthreatening way. "It's fine. I have gloves on, see?" He flexed his fingers in his latex gloves. "I'm not going to make you revert. I wanted to try to communicate with you."

It sounded ridiculous, even to him, but Dazai figured that it was worth a try. He had a few hypotheses about the beast.

It more or less shared emotions and memories with the child, but that was one sided.

Despite Atsushi being a child, his tiger was an adult and had a mind of its own

The tiger had some sort of awareness that it resided in a boy's body most of the time.

The tiger lost interest in him momentarily to stare at Neko swim around the fish tank. He licked his lips greedily. "No," Dazai muttered sternly, running his gloved fingers through the black and white fur, pulling slightly to pull Atsushi's attention away from the fish. "You can't eat Neko, Atsushi would be really upset."

The tiger turned to him, growling and snapping its jaws at him. "Calm down," Dazai replied, much more calm than he should have been.

The big cat took a sudden interest in him, possibly because he'd tell Atsushi to _calm down_ with the same tone of voice sometimes. The tiger began sniffing his clothes as though to identify him and nudging his nose against Dazai's chest. "Yeah," he said, stroking its head. "It's me." The tiger purred as Dazai scratched under its chin and behind its ears. "Good to see you know who I am."

"Listen," he said as he ran his fingers through the fur. "I'm going to find out who wanted to take you. I'll be gone for little while." He smiled bitterly. "It'll be a little scary for Atsushi." The tiger head butted the man lightly and Dazai's smile reached his eyes. "No matter how scared he gets, I want you to stay quiet. It won't be safe for you to come out. Only if it _really_ gets dangerous. If everyone here is down, then you can fight. I don't want you losing control, okay? That's dangerous. "

The tiger whimpered slightly, pushing itself up on its hind legs and planting its front paws against Dazai's chest. The man held himself up for a second before he tumbled backwards under the weight of the cat and hit the ground with a _thud._ He stared back into the tiger's eyes, they were the same colors as Atsushi's eyes, only with a bit more gold than normal. Those eyes weren't threatening, not angry. His eyes were just scared, lonely, and sad.

"Yeah, I'll miss you too," Dazai managed, having a hard time speaking or breathing with a tiger's weight on him. "But it won't be for long, okay?" He shoved the tiger off and got to his feet. "And I'll start training you after that." The big cat stared back with interest in its eyes. "That'll be fun, right?" He released a long breath. "Please," he concluded quietly as he tugged a glove off his hand. "Just keep the boy safe. Keep yourself safe."

The tiger made a slight whining noise before brushing its face against Dazai's bare hand. The feline's face disappeared into a child's. Dazai had to catch the sleeping child before he could fall forward and hit the ground. He carried Atsushi to his futon and laid him down gently. The boy squirmed in his sleep, whimpering like his tiger had.

Dazai pulled the covers up to Atsushi's chest, and went to bed.

He'd figured that the tiger had a cognition of its own a while ago. Some abilities manifested like that. Akutagawa's Rashomon worked the same way, it flared on command, but still acted on its own accord from time to time. It was reasonable to assume that the tiger was the same way.

Less than an hour passed before Dazai felt Atsushi curl up by his side. He wasn't crying and he was pretty calm for the night. Dazai sighed. _We're going to have to break that habit later…_ He thought. _Maybe he'll grow out of it in a little bit._ Chances were, after what he was planning, Atsushi would get more nervous, which made everything more difficult.

But for now, he'd let the child hold onto him. He'd allow him to stay close to him until he help Atsushi stand up on his own two feet.

"You weren't _completely_ explicit about saying you wouldn't take him, and so I figure it's okay," Dazai said as he handed Kunikida his dorm key and gently pushed Atsushi forward with his other hand. The child was uncooperative. He grabbed onto Dazai's hand, his fingers tight.

"I could _not_ have possibly been _more_ explicit about this," Kunikida hissed, keeping his voice lowered for Atsushi's sake. "I made it clear I wasn't taking him and you completely ignored that! What part of 'no' do you not understand?!"

Dazai shrugged. "I'm not really _ignoring_ what you said. I'm just pretending I misunderstood what you said. I thought this would be more respectful of you." Kunikida glared and Dazai threw him a smile. "You're welcome."

"You're a terrible person," he muttered in response.

"Oh, I'm well aware."

He glanced down at Atsushi's face. The boy's eyes were wide, his gaze fixed on Dazai. Those eyes asked questions. _Are you leaving me? Why? Where are you going? Can I come with? Do I have to stay here? Will you come back?_ Dazai sighed deeply and turned back to Kunikida.

"This is pretty important. Just take care of Atsushi for a day or so." Dazai felt Atsushi flinch next to him. "I can tell you everything later. I just need you to trust me for a little bit."

"There was literally everyone else you could have asked. Why not Tanizaki?"

"He, Kenji, and Naomi are more or less recovering from last time."

"Ranpo?"

"Wouldn't trust him with Neko. And Atsushi could get diabetes or cavities with Ranpo's diet."

"The President?"

"Off on a business trip."

"Yosano?"

Dazai raised his eyebrows and tightened his grip on Atsushi's shoulder. "Don't you think he's traumatized enough?"

"Point taken… Couldn't you just hire someone?"

Dazai shook his head, and spoke quietly so Atsushi could hear him. "If something went wrong, they wouldn't do anything. You never know if an operative of the Mafia could have hacked the system. They'd take him without an issue." A moment passed and Dazai looked seriously at Kunikida. "You guys could take shifts watching him. It shouldn't be much different than any given day, except that I'll be gone."

He didn't have time for this. Dazai had to leave, and he had to leave Atsushi behind. The child wasn't putting up much resistance… yet. If the situation intensified and he panicked, he'd get clingy and make this whole thing harder.

Dazai threw his key past Kunikida so it landed far behind him in his neat dorm room.

"You _need_ to stop throwing things when you don't get what you want," Kunikida remarked irritably. He didn't even have time to pick it up and throw it back in Dazai's face. Dazai picked up Atsushi suddenly, holding him at arm's length and pushing him into Kunikida's arms. "What-" He began.

Dazai slammed the door in his face, leaving him awkwardly holding a child who wasn't far from sobbing. Kunikida bit his tongue to keep from spewing out thousands of words that Atsushi was too young to hear. He didn't even bother opening the door and chasing after the idiot. He knew it already. Somehow, Dazai was probably halfway gone.

 **Dazai is fast... Just leaves really quickly. So, yep... I almost saved him really leaving for the next chapter, but I felt like not being awful and just put it in this one. Even writers have hearts somewhere... So, that's all.. I guess...Felt like there was supposed to me more things I had to say here...**

 **Hmmm... Chuuya eventually? I don't know how to fit him in, but I didn't know how to fit Kyouka in here, but here she is going to be a more main character!**

 **Thank you so much for the support! Please review!**

 **P.S. I posted this story on Archiveofourown. It was not stolen by JustAWinterGuardian. She is I.**


	19. Reunion

**Responses**

 **jenny: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Wish I could hear (and understand) the recording. Unfortunately, I only know so many languages... (2) I do want to bring Chuuya in later, probably after a few chapters.**

 **Guest: Thanks!**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Yeah... Kyouka and Chuuya will hopefully play a larger role in this.**

 **Guest: Thank you! I watched a bunch of videos of tigers to figure how I wanted that part to go. They are still cats... I think this tiger to some extent thinks he's a house cat. My uncle has a big dog, he still tries to jump into his lap... Never really processed that he's heavy now...**

 **shikakku: Glad you're liking it! Thanks for the review!**

 **jilnachtaugen: That might come in a little bit. Kunikida taking care of Atsushi may be a relatively difficult chapter... I'll do it anyway. BTW, this didn't make you cry? Darn it. =)**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Yeah... Your comment is basically a summary of the series.**

 **EvilMindedZ: I CAN'T MAKE HIM LEAVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! WHAT KIND OF PERSON WOULD THAT MAKE ME?!  
**

 **Hi! I finished up an essay, so here I am posting a chapter to reward myself for that. I'm finally back, hanging out with my fish. (I missed him over Thanksgiving break!) Here it is! Enjoy!**

 _His teacher glared at him with a disapproving eye. "He's mine," Dazai muttered as though he wished he could deny it. Akutagawa didn't avert his gaze from Dazai's. He stared back, his jaw clenched, his face indifferent._

 _All of what had happened was a little hazy. It was fair to say that his second mission without Dazai pointing him in the right direction hadn't gone well… Somehow, a group of ability users from the managed to subdue him. He'd gone down kicking and screaming, but failed miserably in the end._

 _And now, he sat in the corner of his cell, his energy depleted, Rashomon struggling to wake up. It shimmered around the edges, but refused to fully shift and move at will._

 _His master sighed heavily and handed the law enforcement officer a wad of cash. The door slid open and Akutagawa tensed when Dazai entered his cell. Dazai's one uncovered eye looks down at him with disdain._

 _Akutagawa opened his mouth to say something, but a fist collided hard with Akutagawa's face before he could get a sound out._

 _The strike doesn't make him cough up blood like Dazai's punches often do, but it's enough for the apprentice to know that he was going to receive a serious punishment when they got back._

" _I don't want to hear it," Dazai said, his voice more irritated than angry. "You had_ one job."

 _Rashomon flared a little, coming back to life. Akutagawa was only partially in control of it. Maybe it was the exhaustion, which made it hard to get a handle on his outraged feelings. Dazai noticed and his frown deepened._

" _Down, boy," Dazai commanded as he grabbed Akutagawa by the scruff of his neck, instantly silencing Rashomon. He hauled his student up. His nails dug into Akutagawa's skin. They were blunt and short, but they still felt like spikes in his flesh as Dazai half dragged him out of the cell. Based on the grip he kept on his student's neck, Dazai wasn't going to release him any time soon. "If anyone asks," he said to the guard as he pulled his apprentice out the cell door. "This idiot never got captured." His hand tightened on Akutagawa's neck and the boy had to grit his teeth to keep from making a sound of pain. "Understood?"_

" _Of course," the guard responded quickly._

" _Good," Dazai concluded in a clipped tone, pulling Akutagawa along with him._

Akutagawa only remembered that night being rough. He could remember Dazai's hands on him, leaching away his ability, beating him senseless. He tasted copper in his mouth for days after.

However, he'd accepted it. Akutagawa had swallowed his pill no matter how bitter it was. He'd put up with the beatings and listened to Dazai berate him, all because one day, this would make him strong, one day all that pain would bring him a purpose. It never did. All it brought was fractures, lacerations, and a void in his psyche. That person who'd promised to make him strong vanished into thin air and reappeared a few year later as an enemy with a child who clung to him like a wretched lifeline. Curse him.

So, seeing that person casually humming a song of his own creation while chained to a pillar did not lift Akutagawa's dark mood in any way. Rashomon flew out, pressing on Dazai's windpipe, bringing his tune to an abrupt halt.

Of course, his ability cancelled out Akutagawa's in a split second. Dazai grinned smugly. "We really ought to know better than that by now," he commented with a teasing note in his voice.

Akutagawa grimaced at the familiarity in that voice. "You're a stain on the Port Mafia's history," he remarked, walking down the stairs calmly. He ignored the nervous pounding of his heart as he approached. It was something of a conditioned response to Dazai because whenever he got close to the man, he'd wound up battered and bleeding.

Dazai shrugged, the chains jingling with his movement. "Not like it was a very clean history to begin with."

The former apprentice glared, his breathing steady. Then, he drew back his fist and landed a hard punch on Dazai's face. Hard enough to make blood fly from his mouth. "You think we'll just allow you to continue with your life after you _left?_ " He spat the last word with more vehemence than Dazai had ever heard from him.

Dazai's respirations were steadier than they should have been after receiving a punch like that, and he managed a laugh as his head rose to look at his former student. "Did I sense something personal there?" He asked, tauntingly. Akutagawa's eyes narrowed, and Dazai smirked. "You're as transparent as ever." His former student said nothing, only kept glaring like he could will Dazai to burst into flames. The chained man stifled a chuckle. "Unfortunately for us, I won't die if you stare at me hard enough. Feel free to keep trying though."

Another punch. This one hit Dazai's ribs. "You aren't invincible," Akutagawa said, his voice a growl. "You still bleed and feel pain like the rest of humanity." His eyes narrowed. "I can kill you without the use of my ability."

Dazai smirked. "I get the feeling you're angry for some different reasons. Want to tell me what they are?" The look on his face made it clear that he already knew. He already knew everything. Akutagawa didn't respond, his face an emotionless mask. Dazai continued. "Hmm… What have I ever done to get you so riled up? Let me think about this…" He went on, pretending to recall anything he could have done to anger Akutagawa. "Oh! Does it have anything to do with Atsushi?"

Akutagawa flinched and shot forward to curl his fingers around Dazai's throat. "Shut up!" He yelled.

But Dazai laughed, as much as he could anyway with pale, shaking fingers cutting off his air supply. "Am I getting warmer then?" He choked out, keeping that persistent smile on his face. "You're still just as much a child as ever." He was struggling now, losing oxygen. His words grew softer. "Jealous of a six year old… Real… Mature..."

The light in his eyes faded, his eyelids closing and his body going limp. He hung weakly from his shackles. Akutagawa released his grip, wiping his hand on his coat as though he'd touched something disgusting.

Dazai would pay. He'd pay for everything. Every beating, every berating, every bullet.

There were a lot of things Atsushi didn't understand.

He didn't know how babies came into existence. He didn't know how his ability really worked or even what it really was. He didn't know how Neko breathed water instead of air. He didn't know what his life had been like before the orphanage.

But most of all, he couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong. He must've done something bad. Dazai wouldn't have practically shoved him at his colleague otherwise, right? The question consumed him.

Somehow, he'd managed to screw up so badly that Dazai had to leave him.

"A day or so." That was what Dazai had said. So, in theory, Atsushi shouldn't have been too worried. However, back in the orphanage, he remembered the Headmaster would say he'd leave him isolated for "a day or so" and pull him out by his hair after a week had gone by.

 _It's happening again…_ He thought as his body started to tremble.

 _He abandoned makes you think he wouldn't do the same to you?_

Why couldn't Atsushi forget those words?! Why did they have to resound in his head without end? He tried to reason with himself, remind himself that Dazai wouldn't do that to him, but somehow his reasoning didn't come that easily.

 **So, there it is. Dazai is captured, not taking it seriously and Atsushi is coping with** **separation** **anxiety. I have class in like 15 minutes, so I guess this is all I really have to say... I'm 100% open to reviews! Thank you for reading!**


	20. The Agency's Child

**Merry Two Days After Christmas! It feels like forever since I've posted anything for this story! I meant to post this chapter on Christmas day, but there were some issues with my computer and stuff like that. So, finally here it is! Enjoy!**

Atsushi cried for the first twenty minutes after Dazai had left him in Kunikida's arms and disappeared. He'd scream if Kunikida got within three feet of him for the first five minutes of his stay. The message was clear. He wanted Dazai and for the moment, he wouldn't accept comfort from anyone but Dazai.

Legally speaking, Atsushi belonged to the Agency. In reality, he was more Dazai's than he was anybody else's. Dazai was the one who tucked him in at night and spent the most time with him. However, he was technically Kunikida's responsibility now since Dazai had left the child there and he was a member of the Agency. Kunikida glanced at Atsushi, who was huddled in the corner of the room, his forehead against his knees as he tried to stifle sobs.

 _Okay…_ Kunikida thought, his head beginning to hurt from Atsushi's bawling. _I'll do something about it._ He'd worked with children before, more or less. Kunikida already knew that he and kids mixed about as well as oil and water, but his head ached and he had to do _something._

"Stop crying," he said calmly when Atsushi finally let him get closer.

Atsushi made an effort to pull himself together, but that immediately fell flat. He wound up choking back tears and shaking. Kunikida suppressed a sigh and reached a hand toward him to stroke his back comfortingly. _Dazai holds his hand and carries him all the time and he seems happy with that._ He figured. If being held calmed Atsushi down, Kunikida was willing to carry him for a bit.

Despite letting him closer, Atsushi was in no mood to be touched. He lashed out, more or less. He didn't transform or grow claws, but he did ball his tiny hands into fists, and tried to hit Kunikida, which didn't work. The man caught Atsushi's wrist between his finger and his thumb easily. "No," Kunikida reprimanded in a stern tone. "We do _not_ hit."

Atsushi glared and struggled against him uselessly, trying to pull away. Kunikida didn't let him. His grip was like the iron clamps back in the cellar of the orphanage. Kunikida's fingers didn't make red circles on his wrists or hurt them, but that didn't matter. They were restrictive and that was enough reason for Atsushi to panic. "Let go!" Atsushi cried, trying to twist away. When Kunikida didn't, Atsushi thrashed around like a fish caught in a net. He attempted to hit the man with his free hand, which got caught in Kunikida's grasp as well. Atsushi screamed in frustration.

"No hitting," he repeated. "Or biting," Kunikida added when Atsushi tried to bite his wrist. He pulled his hands away to avoid the teeth, still keeping his grip on Atsushi's wrists.

He fought Kunikida for about four minutes and thirty seconds, screaming and squirming the whole time. It was a huge waste of time since Kunikida could think of several better things to do. Eventually, Atsushi lost his strength to keep fighting. His movements slowed and he shook with tears, letting his body go limp. "Please let go," he said weakly as he tugged away.

"Are you going to try to hit again?" The man asked. Atsushi shook his head. "Okay."

The child pouted and leaned against the wall, pulling his knees against his chest. "I want Dazai," he muttered, wiping away the streaks of tears left on his face.

 _For once in my life, so do I._ Kunikida thought mournfully. He attempted to give a semi-comforting pat on the shoulder. Atsushi flinched, but he didn't shy away to try to fight a second time. He didn't have much contact with Kunikida before now, aside from a few murder cases when he'd scolded him for getting too close to the body, but Atsushi could remember him driving the car when Dazai rescued him from the Port Mafia.

"Is he mad at me?" Atsushi asked quietly.

"Huh?" Kunikida responded. "Is Dazai mad at you?" Atsushi flinched at the question in Kunikida's voice, but bit his lip and nodded. The man shrugged. "I highly doubt you're even remotely capable of making him angry." Atsushi tilted his head at the words, but he understood enough to know that he should be happy with the answer.

"Why did he leave?"

"Who knows?" He said honestly. "That man is a mystery."

Atsushi bit his lip again. He didn't want to cry again, but he knew if he said anything on the topic, he'd burst into tears. His mind was miles away, all the way back at the orphanage, all the way back to the headmaster.

 _Your parents abandoned you in a trash bag._

Those people… He didn't remember them and to some extent he didn't care to. They were mean people who left him. Dazai wasn't mean. The people at the Agency weren't mean, but there was that lingering fear when Dazai left. That fear of being thrown out and abandoned. It was a scary thought. _Is Dazai leaving me?_ He asked silently, not daring to say it out loud.

Kunikida sighed. "I'm relatively sure he's coming back." He extended an arm to Atsushi, seeing if he was making any progress with the child. He must have been because Atsushi crawled closer to him. "Dazai's been protecting you since the night he brought you back to the Agency. Chances are he's not stopping now."

Atsushi sniffed, still missing Dazai, still wanting him there. He even felt some anger at Dazai's sudden departure, which was a difficult emotion to face. He'd felt anger several times before, but everytime, it was a painful, helpless feeling. If he'd lashed out in anger at the orphanage, he'd get broken bones. Here, he didn't get hurt, but he'd gotten scolded, which he also didn't like.

If he hadn't done anything to make Dazai angry with him, then why did he leave?

"Don't dwell on it for now," Kunikida said, seeing the perplexed look on Atsushi's face. "We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he has a good reason." Atsushi bit his lip again and nodded.

"When will he be back?"

"Not sure." Kunikida replied slowly. He sensed Atsushi getting closer to tears. "Probably soon. He does this sometimes."

 _Hi!_ The note read. _So, if you're reading this, I left you with Atsushi. I can't tell you where I am or what I'm doing right now. You'd blow a gasket._ =D

 _Just some things you should know for taking care of Atsushi:_

 _He'll eat just about anything, but he really loves tea on rice. (If he's really emotional about me leaving, you might want to give him some.)_

 _He can clean himself, you just need to fill up the bathtub for him and help him rinse out the shampoo… That part is difficult for him, aside from that, he knows which soaps he uses and stuff._

 _Even if he says he can watch it, DO NOT let him see the nature channel show with sharks or any show with clowns, he'll be up all night or wake up screaming… He said something about a clown taking his leg…_

 _One last thing, I doubt he's going to shift in the next few nights, but just in case, I left a some raw meat in the fridge. It has tranquilizer in it, so it should knock him out._

 _That's about it. Bye!_

The note crumpled in Kunikida's hand before he sighed, folded it up, and stuck it in his pocket. Atsushi dropped two food pellets into Neko's aquarium, keeping a dead serious expression on his face as he watched his fish attack the food. That was it, for now, Atsushi was Kunikida's responsibility… Or, the Agency's…

"Can I have food?" Atsushi asked, tugging on Kunikida's shirt. "I'm hungry."

"Did Dazai not feed you?" He asked, seeing the famished look on the child's face.

"Small breakfast," he muttered, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

Kunikida flattened his hands and lightly clapped Atsushi on this shoulder. Atsushi yelped, and stopped chewing. "Don't do that," he corrected. "You're going to make your mouth bleed like that." Atsushi pressed his teeth together, keeping himself from biting his cheek. He nodded seriously.

As both Dazai and Kunikida predicted, it was a normal day, more or less. Atsushi wasn't totally himself, he seemed on edge and moody to some degree. Like any other day though, he was left with whomever was in the office when Kunikida had to take a job and leave.

"This isn't really different," Kunikida said when Atsushi clung to his hand as he left. "This happens literally every day, and you're okay with it."

"It's different now," Atsushi argued in a small voice.

Kunikida sighed. "No, it isn't really." He had to get to his knees to be at eye level with the child. "I'll be back this evening, it'll be fine." Atsushi looked at him like he didn't quite believe him. "Just trust me when I say that, okay?"

Atsushi didn't respond, he was still skeptical, still terrified of being left behind. With Dazai, he'd been able to tag along on a few jobs, quite often, he'd only managed that by begging or crying. Kunikida, on the other hand, was harder to convince. "I'm not taking you with me and that is _final_ ," he'd said, making his voice so firm that Atsushi didn't have the resolve to keep trying to come with him. "Am I understood?" Atsushi sniffed, but nodded.

He sat by the door for the next few minutes, unsure of what to do. He kept having this scene replay in his head where Dazai walked in. That scene didn't go any further, he just kept thinking about where Dazai was and why he left.

"What are you doing there?" Yosano asked.

"Nothing," he responded sullenly after a few seconds.

The doctor clicked her tongue boredly, and picked him up. Atsushi squirmed, but not as much as he had before with Kunikida. "You're still young," she said. "You're wasting your time, sitting by the door like that."

"I want Dazai," Atsushi muttered.

"I know. He'll probably be back soon, Dazai does this sometimes."

"Why?"

She sighed. "Not sure," she said, despite knowing that Dazai tended to show up a week or so later in rather awkward situations after attempts on his own life. Atsushi was too young to know that though. "It's possible he needed alone time."

"Why?"

"Because some people need alone time."

"Why?"

"That's just how some people are."

"Why?"

"I can't totally explain all this to you." She ruffled his hair. "Do you want to go shopping with me to have something to do?" Atsushi made a disdainful grimace at the suggestion. Yosano laughed at the face he made. "Okay, I still have some work to do. Do you want me to keep me company?"

Atsushi didn't really want to, but he understood that it would be rude to refuse, even though he already said that he didn't want to go shopping. "Okay," he muttered as she carried him back to the infirmary.

Yosano had her own desk in the main office, but she often preferred to work in her element: the infirmary.

The child was better about sitting in the infirmary. The antiseptic scent didn't bother him as much as it once had. To some extent, those scary memories were fading. It helped that the doctor let him color on some long sheets of paper that she lined some of the beds with.

It was quiet for a little while with Yosano working and Atsushi coloring. It was peaceful.

There were a few times though, where the atmosphere changed. Like a palpable shift in mood. It lasted for a few seconds, then it was gone as though it had never happened. Eventually, the doctor was positive she'd heard a growl. She looked over to see Atsushi sitting still, teeth bared, staring at the skeleton that hung in the corner of the room. The color of his eyes had changed to golden, pupils dilated.

"Atsushi," she began. He turned toward her, blinking as though coming out of a trance. "What's wrong?" He looked at her, then back at the skeleton, glaring at the bones. He didn't say anything. Yosano chuckled. "Are you scared of the skeleton?" Atsushi didn't admit anything, but his glare at the bones intensified.

"I'm not scared of it," Atsushi mumbled.

Yosano suppressed a laugh as she rose from her seat to lift up Atsushi. She brought him near the skeleton, and she could feel his muscles tense as they got closer. He pressed closer to her, a faint whimper escaping him.

He was scared of it, yes. He didn't like seeing the skeleton, and most parents would simply remove it from his line of sight, but the Agency's child would not be afraid of bones as long as she was around. "It's okay," she said, stroking his back. "It's nothing to be afraid of." She explained how bones were inside of every person and how they gave people shape. "If you didn't have a skeleton, you would be a puddle," she said when he'd grown more accustomed to the skeleton.

She grabbed the hand of the skeleton and held it up for him to see. "We have two hundred and six bones. They all have names." She gestured to the fingers. "These are the Phalanges."

"Phalanges," Atsushi repeated cautiously, poking the fingers gently.

"Very good," Yosano said with the enthusiasm of a preschool teacher. "And these are the metacarpals," she pointed out as her fingers moved to the hand. "And the carpals," she pointed to the wrist.

By the time Kunikida took him back to Dazai's apartment, he could point out most of the larger bones in the human body.

Bath time should have been easier than it was.

"Dazai said you would be okay on your own," Kunikida said, turning off the faucet. "Aside from rinsing."

"Yeah," Atsushi replied as he pushed a rubber duck across the water's surface. "I'm good."

Kunikida left the door partially open, and went to review his notes. He was weary of leaving the child alone in the bathroom, but according to a handful of parenting websites, letting him bathe unsupervised for a little while would be okay. He was sitting a few feet from the bathroom door, he was sure to hear if anything went wrong.

Only seven minutes passed before a scream tore through the apartment. Kunikida jumped, and rushed into the bathroom. He didn't completely know what he expected to find, but seeing some of the worst things in his line of work and seeing the worst of humanity, his mind immediately jumped to the worst case scenario.

He came in to find Atsushi surrounded by bubbles, his silverish hair matted with shampoo, rubbing his eyes, and whimpering. Kunikida almost gave an exasperated sigh. "What happened?" He asked, grabbing a tissue. He held Atsushi's chin in one hand and wiped the soap from his eyes with the other.

"I got soap in my eyes," Atsushi cried, reaching up to rub his eye with a hand covered with soap suds. Kunikida caught his wrist before he could touch his face.

"You'll only get more soap in your eyes like that."

Atsushi whimpered, shying away from Kunikida's hands even though he couldn't see them. "Hold still," he said as he soaked a tissue in clean water, and held it to Atsushi's eyes. The whole room smelled of whatever shampoo he'd used… It actually smelled like… an overpriced men's shampoo… The kid's shampoo sat untouched at the other side of the tub. "Dazai said you knew which soap to use." He swept Atsushi's soapy bangs away from his eyes.

"I do," Atsushi whined.

"Then _why_ did you use Dazai's shampoo?!" He asked as he finished wiping the soap from Atsushi's eyes.

The child blinked hard, about to rub his eyes again, but thought better of it. "Because I'm mad at him," he said, his voice catching in his throat.

Kunikida raised an eyebrow. "So," he began, trying to understand Atsushi's reasoning. "You used his shampoo to get revenge on him because you're angry with him." Atsushi nodded "Tilt your head back so I can rinse it out." Atsushi obeyed, shutting his eyes to keep more sudsy water out. "Most people who know Dazai are mad at him. Why are you mad at him?"

"He left," the child said sullenly after his hair was rinsed clean of soap. He curled in on himself. "What if he doesn't come back?"

 _I'd finally be able to get my work done._ He helped Atsushi rinse off the rest of the soap suds, and stayed in there with him to make sure he didn't completely get soap in his eyes again. "He'll come back," Kunikida said as he drained the tub and wrapped Atsushi in a towel, and helped Atsushi into footie pajamas. "He's only been gone a day. Despite how much I wish it wasn't true, he'll be back."

 **Wow... That felt like a long one. I actually had a lot of fun with that one, and I normally have fun with pain, but I guess getting soap in your eyes counts as pain... I originally thought about using cleaning products, but I plan to use that for a more intense and depressing story, because I am writing one like that.**

 **Okay, two things I hope you take away from this chapter:**

 **1\. Bones... Finger and toe bones are called phalanges. (I would tell you all more, but this is a fanfiction, not a completely self indulgent Anatomy lesson.)**

 **2\. Kid logic: If you're mad at your guardian, steal their shampoo... Sounds like a good way to get revenge.**

 **Thank you so much for all the love this story gets! I would not make it this far if not for everyone's support!**

 **Please review!**

 **P.S. That new chapter of the manga...ASDFGHJNHGFDEDUFIGOVKJFHCDXGHUEIOFKJHDXDCKSWIERFGDJA... I-I can't... Just... That's it. All I really have to say about that without spoiling anything. =D**


	21. Escape

**Responses!**

 **EvilMindedZ: Thanks, man, but of course you knew that was coming because I text you almost every detail I think of.**

 **Guest: Thank you! I'm happy you're enjoying it!**

 **Dragon77: Yeah, that part kind of hurt to write. This was Atsushi's best idea of how to get revenge... To be fair, I'd be less than happy if someone used all my shampoo...**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: I hope you catch up soon. It's kind getting heated and I find myself hurting inside quite a bit.**

 **jilnachtaugen: Glad this had such an effect! =D I think that deep down Yosano and Kunikida would act like parents, just with a few... unconventional methods, but if I ever have kids, I'm probably going to make sure they know the skeletal system. We're almost to Atsushi meeting Kyouka, honestly, I'm getting really hyped about future chapters!**

 **Happy (Somewhat belated) New Year! As you all have probably guessed by now, I am not very good at being on time when trying to post on holidays and stuff. What can I say aside from "I tried"?**

 **But... I wrote it, and that's the important think. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of 2018!**

Dazai's hands were chained, he hadn't eaten for a day, his wrists had been rubbed raw by the bindings on his wrists that had managed to wear through his bandages.

More importantly though, he was BORED! It'd been more than a day, he could tell that much. He'd taken at least four naps by now, which didn't feel too great since he was standing with his hands chained the whole time. _Ugh._ He thought tiredly. _Where the heck is the hatrack with I actually need him?_

Footsteps. Dazai didn't so much as tense. He didn't recognize who they belonged to, but he had a few guesses. The sound of the footfalls didn't match Akutagawa's who practically focused on making his steps sound demanding and more powerful. Chuuya hardly had footsteps when he wanted to or his footfalls put cracks in the cement, especially when he was pissed. The sound of these footsteps were new to him. They were quick and quiet, and somewhere in there, he could hear just a trace of hesitation.

Dazai opened his eyes, yawning as though he was just waking. _Someone who's new._ He thought, listening to the sound of the steps. _Young, but still trained well enough._ The steps came to a halt altogether. He groaned. "You may as well come out," Dazai called casually. "I already know you're there, seems like a waste to come all the way down here without doing anything, doesn't it?"

Silence. Then a slight shuffling sound.

The man didn't look completely helpless like most prisoners did when chained to the wall, and Kyouka doubted he was actually scared in the slightest. There was a chance he was faking his overconfident smirk, but Kyouka doubted that too. He was just as she remembered him in the prison: skilled, experienced, and calm.

"Ah, it's you, the child who abducted me," he said when she came into the light. Kyouka felt her grip tighten on the notepad in her hands. "It's okay, I forgive you," he said gently. "I guess I should say it's good to see you again, but I don't think we actually know each other." He smiled. "Now is as good a time as any to make introductions. My name is Dazai Osamu, but if you're Akutagawa's subordinate, I suppose you already know that."

Kyouka didn't reply. She scrawled words onto her notepad. _My name is Kyouka. I am an assassin for the Port Mafia._ She wrote them the best she could with her broken fingers.

"I figured as much," Dazai muttered. "You just found out about the transmitter?" Kyouka nodded. He paused, thoughtfully tapping his fingers against the clamps on his wrists. "It was nice of you to feign unconsciousness when I rescued Atsushi. Made the escape easier." Kyouka blinked in surprise. "Yes, I knew that you were awake. My ability doesn't put people to sleep, they only deal with the initial shock when I do something like that, but I'm sure you had Akutagawa fooled." He glanced at her fingers. "What did he break them for?"

Kyouka awkwardly held her pen and wrote her answer. _Trying to leave._

Dazai released a sigh. "Yeah, not very easy is it?"

The girl looked down at her fingers regretfully before crawling on he notepad again. _You left._

"That I did," Dazai responded bluntly. He offered a knowing smirk. "You want help, don't you?" Kyouka nodded again. "Just where do you plan to go?" Kyouka shrugged. Dazai sighed. "Kunikida is going to kill me for this, but there's a place I can take you, an organization you can join. Even if you didn't officially join, there's a job I can give you." A flash of distrust lit in Kyouka's eyes. "Relax, no killing involved, and if I'm right, that's the part of this place you hate so much." His eyes flashed understanding. "How many?"

 _Thirty five._

"Not many, but it's best to end this soon."

Kyouka tensed, and she began to write on her notepad. "I'd like your help with one thing first." She stopped and looked up at him. "I need to know where the records are. You remember the child Akutagawa captured about a week ago? I want to know who's willing to pay such a sum for him. Can you tell me where it is?" She wrote the answer. "That's what I thought," Dazai muttered, snapping his fingers, making the shackles clatter against their pillar. A bobby pin rested in his fingers. He stretched his arms out casually. "Well, I was going to wait for Chuuya so I could irritate him and get him to tell me where to find the records, but I guess this was easier."

He gestured Kyouka closer and grabbed the sword at her side. "First thing's first. We have to take care of that transmitter." The girl shied back, staring at her sword in his hands. It glinted threateningly in the dim light of the dungeon. "Stay calm. I'm not going to kill you. We just have to cut it out. Won't be too much blood. You have to trust me for this."

Kyouka looked over her shoulder to the exit, but took a deep breath and took a step closer to Dazai. He smiled, not in the scary way she was used to see people smile in the Port Mafia. The smile he gave her was somewhat calming. "That's good," he said as he adjusted her sword in his hands. He instructed her to tilt her head, she obeyed, baring her neck so he could have a clear view of what to cut. "Just relax," he muttered, prodding a space on her neck before cutting into her delicate skin with the tip of the blade.

She didn't make a sound as her skin tore cleanly. It felt enough like a shallow cut, though Kyouka knew it had to be deeper than it felt. Something was scraping against the transmitter, she could make out the sound. If she had to guess, she'd say that Dazai was using the bobby pin he'd used to pick the lock as makeshift tweezers.

"Got it," Dazai said as Kyouka felt something small and metallic get pulled from her flesh. She suppressed a yelp of pain. "You did great," he murmured as he unwound a worn bandage from his arm and wrapped the transmitter chip in it before slipping it into his pocket. Then, he took unwrapped some of the bandages that covered his neck, wadded them up, and pressed them to the gash on Kyouka's neck. "Apply pressure," Dazai instructed, releasing Kyouka when her fingers made contact with the bandage. "I apologize in advance for any infection. We have a doctor who can take care of it." The girl nodded seriously.

Like "kidnapping" Atsushi, deciding to bring Kyouka along with him was not a spur of the moment decision. Dazai didn't have those. Every move or choice he made was thought out. All the consequences were considered. Taking the girl was, without a doubt, a risk. He knew that. She could betray them, the Agency could take a hit from housing a killer, the Mafia could retaliate.

It was that empty look in her eyes that convinced him. That cry of hunger for redemption written on her face.

 _Save the weak, and protect the orphans._

Dazai paused as he searched through the records, that familiar voice of his friend rang in his head. He swallowed and kept going as though nothing happened. Kyouka didn't seem to notice, she just kept pressing the wad of bandages to her neck.

"Who would pay seven billion for a tiger?" He muttered to himself, partially to fill the silence that had set in. For the second time that day, he bodily reacted. He stared at the screen, not quite believing it. _The Guild…_ It took him a half second to calm down, and consider what to do. They'd need to protect Atsushi more, which was saying something because aside from that one time the Port Mafia abducted him, the child was well protected. There was another problem, Atsushi was growing up. He was beginning to understand what Dazai had been hiding. _I guess it's about time he knows._ Dazai thought, sighing.

"Kyouka," he said, logging out of the computer and wiping his fingerprints from the keyboard. "Let's go."

 **I know there's been a lot of hope and questions about Kyouka, so here it is... Dazai just decides to "kidnap" another child. Any objections? None? Okay!**

 **Thank you so much for your support. Please review! All feedback is good feedback for me!**


	22. 5 Days

**Hello! It is late here, this chapter took me forever to write between a novel in progress, the other fanfiction, and an essay about Martin Luther and his views on piety. But... I did it. Finally got around to getting this out. I hope you enjoy it!**

Atsushi couldn't remember a time he'd felt so conflicted, aside from the time Dazai rescued him from the Port Mafia.

When Dazai opened the door to Kunikida's dormitory without knocking first, Atsushi followed his first instinct of barrelling into the man as fast as possible. Dazai was prepared for this because he quickly lowered himself to his knees, so he could catch Atsushi when he came running.

Atsushi's head hit hard against Dazai's chest. He could feel the man wince slightly at the hit, but he picked the boy up anyway. Atsushi clung to him, feeling the promise of safety again. He stayed in Dazai's arms for a little while as the man conversed with Kunikida. They mainly argued. There was a lot of yelling from Kunikida's end, and a lot smiles and dismissive gestures from Dazai's. The now almost empty bottle of shampoo went unmentioned.

After the thrill of seeing Dazai died away, Atsushi remembered why he'd emptied the shampoo bottle over his head in the first place. The man had left him, and had practically tossed him into Kunikida's arms, leaving without a word of explanation. Atsushi couldn't forget the fear he'd felt, the terror that he'd been abandoned again.

"Did you have fun with Kunikida and everyone?" Dazai asked, still holding Atsushi.

He didn't answer. Atsushi looked away defiantly. His eyes were angry, or as angry as _his_ eyes could be at least. "Atsushi," he began as he nudged the child. "Are you mad at me?"

Still averting his eyes from Dazai, Atsushi nodded vigorously.

"Why?"

Atsushi puffed out his cheeks and avoided Dazai's eyes. If it wouldn't make Atsushi more angry at him, he would have laughed at the face the child was making. "So, you're giving me the silent treatment now? That's new." Atsushi clenched his teeth, but didn't do anything more. "Let's get ice cream," Dazai decided when he figured that the best thing he could do was give the boy a peace offering.

****One ice cream cone later****

"Atsushi," Dazai muttered boredly when the boy continued to look away from him. "I bought you ice cream." He poked Atsushi's cheek, which the child didn't appreciate. He slapped Dazai's hand away. "So, you're not supposed to be mad at me." He took a breath in before putting on a serious face and adding, "Those are the rules: If Dazai buys you ice cream, you're not allowed to be mad at him."

"Kunikida said those rules aren't real," Atsushi responded sullenly, shifting in the tall chair by the window at the ice cream parlor.

 _Why would you do this to me, Kunikida? That was my best parenting strategy._

"I have to talk to you," he began. "And I can't if you're going to stay mad at me." The child made a face in response, it was pretty obvious that he didn't want to talk to Dazai. He didn't even seem to want anything to do with him. Dazai would consider threatening to leave him again, but that would be cruel. Not to mention, leaving him- even for pretend- could shatter what little trust he had left in Dazai. He pressed his tongue to the roof of his mouth. "Did I scare you?" He asked, even though he knew the answer. Atsushi stiffened, and Dazai knew he'd struck a nerve. "Did you think I wouldn't come back?"

Atsushi didn't say anything, but his lips pressed together into a straight line. Dazai ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"Why did you leave?" Atsushi muttered weakly.

Dazai glanced around, he couldn't tell Atsushi everything here, not with people who could hear every word. "I'll tell you, but not here," he replied. Atsushi pouted, not picking up the urgency in Dazai's voice. "Atsushi, now's not the time for that," he said with a chiding note in his voice as he slid off his chair, and helped the boy down from his chair.

Atsushi tugged on Dazai's sleeve, his eyes were narrowed.

"What is it?" Dazai asked, suddenly remembering that same action from when Atsushi stayed silent for a week after being abducted.

"Can I-" He stopped his request short. Hesitation played on his face like he was wondering whether or not he could still ask things of Dazai. It was almost as though he was scared to be close to Dazai again.

He didn't ask Atsushi to try to finish his sentence. Dazai simply lifted him off the ground and placed him on his shoulders. "Is that what you wanted?" He said once Atsushi had settled.

"Yes," the child responded softly, his hands reaching down to grip the collar of Dazai's coat to keep himself steady. He held on tight, and Dazai could tell just by that grip that Atsushi had forgiven him for leaving. Mostly. "Why?" Atsushi squeaked after awhile.

"I assure you, I have a good reason, Atsushi." He sighed, his eyes darting around. They should have been far enough for Dazai to tell him as long as he kept his voice down to a murmur. "Do you remember when you got taken?" He could feel the child's muscles tense. Confirmation enough. "Well, there's a few things you need to know."

"Huh?"

"Okay, first of all, I'm going to tell you a story." He muttered, quietly enough so that only the child could hear him. "Once upon a time, the Port Mafia didn't seem like so bad a place. It was a place where scared children went. For a little bit, it seemed like a safe place." He paused. "Atsushi, what exactly did Akutagawa say? Do you remember?"

Dazai could guess the face Atsushi was making. The same face he always made when he thought back to the Mafia. He didn't say anything for a long time. "Uh… You were his teacher… You were mean…. You were going to sel-"

"Yeah, all that," Dazai said before Atsushi could go deeper into the past. He let a minute tick by. "I was his teacher once. That part's true. I admit that I could have been nicer, but that's most of it." He left out the part about being the youngest executive and his body count. Atsushi wouldn't understand that, he was rigid on his shoulders, probably pale from fear.

He took Atsushi off his shoulders and carried him in his arms. The boy stared at him with large, scared eyes. His gaze was spaced out, and he didn't look straight into Dazai's eyes. "It's alright," he said gently, keeping his voice soft to calm Atsushi. It didn't work. "Atsushi, listen to me," Dazai said, putting a hand on Atsushi's head. "Things are different now. I'm not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you." He pulled him closer, and held him there like he had back in Port Mafia's prison. When he squirmed, Dazai muttered some gentle words. "Atsushi, I've changed since then." He took a deep breath. "I left because my friend died. He was a good person, took care of orphans…" Dazai paused, Atsushi had stilled. "He told me to protect orphans. And here I am," he muttered finally. Atsushi looked up at him silently. His eyes weren't terrified anymore.

"There's another thing," Dazai whispered. "Atsushi, it's about your ability." That seemed to get Atsushi's attention, his head raised. "Do you know what it is?"

"I heal fast," he said.

"That's only part of it," Dazai replied. "There's another thing with that. You're a tiger," he concluded as easily as he could.

Atsushi's eyes grew wide. "Huh?" He squeaked. His fingers curled into Dazai's shirt. "What do you mean?" He said in a slight voice like how he'd talked right after Dazai pulled him out of the orphanage. "You told me I only get better faster.

"I said that you heal faster for one thing," he clarified. "I never said there wasn't more to your ability." Atsushi pouted at Dazai's not lie, but not full truth. Dazai found a small smile tugging at his lips. "It happens at night, mostly in a full moon. Maybe when you feel distressed." Atsushi didn't respond, a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "That's why they took you back then. Someone was after you."

Atsushi swallowed hard. Fear played in his eyes. "Why?"

"We don't know yet," Dazai said gently. "Whatever it is, I have no intention of letting you get taken again." They were approaching the dorms. _I wonder how this'll play out._ Dazai thought. _Could go great. Could be awful. Could be something in between… Probably the last one, in all likelihood._ "Atsushi," he continued. "Do you remember the girl you saw when you got kidnapped?"

Atsushi twisted up his lips in a thoughtful expression. "Uh… Umm…" He was struggling to remember. "Which one? There were… three."

"'Which one?" Dazai echoed. He'd momentarily forgotten that Atsushi was at that age where he simplified all females to "girls" and most males to "boys."

"Kyouka," Dazai clarified, and felt the need to go on when he saw Atsushi trying to remember. "The one with dark hair and the kimono. I knocked her out when I came to get you."

"Oh," Atsushi began. "Yeah, I remember her."

"Well, she's not mean like Akutagawa." Atsushi didn't flinch at the name as he normally did, he did squirm a little. Dazai let him down, and felt Atsushi grab a fistful of his coat. He looked up at Dazai, his eyes were doubtful since he'd only seen her with Akutagawa and guarding his cell. She'd only seemed scary to the child.

"She was kind of a prisoner there," Dazai said, aiming to get Atsushi to form some sort of a connection with the girl. "Akutagawa was mean to her too." He lowered his hand, and Atsushi grabbed onto it, choosing the hand over the coat. "She actually _pretended_ to sleep when we ran out, so we could get out faster."

"Oh." They reached the dorm, and Atsushi stopped short. "Dazai, this isn't the right room," he said quietly.

"I know, it's fine," Dazai replied as he knocked on the door. "Kyouka," he called. "It's me."

Atsushi flinched, suddenly putting together why Dazai had been talking so much about the girl. He took a step back, and his guardian let him do that much, but judging by his grip on the child's hand, Atsushi guessed he wasn't planning on letting him run away. "It's okay," Dazai muttered.

The girl opened the door slowly, and Atsushi stood frozen, flashbacks of that cell- that cage- came rushing back to his head. Kyouka looked down at him, but her gaze wasn't scary. None of her was quite as scary as it had been when she was guarding Atsushi. She looked smaller. Her fingers were strange looking with all the splints and her neck was bandaged just like Dazai's.

She didn't take a step forward, and he face remained indifferent. Instead of saying "hello," Kyouka got to her knees, lowering her head and placing her hands before her. Atsushi shyed back, but Dazai didn't let him go much further. "I am sorry," she said candidly, her voice so quiet that Atsushi almost hadn't heard her. "I'm sorry," she said again.

Atsushi stood still. How was he supposed to react to this? His hand tightened around Dazai's fingers. He looked up at his guardian as if asking him how he was supposed to respond.

"Kyouka," Dazai began. "Get up, it's alright." She didn't move for a minute. When she did, Dazai could see unshed tears in her eyes. He knew that Atsushi could see them too.

They entered the dorm. Atsushi tugged Dazai's arm, wanting for Dazai to hold him. Normally, the agency's method of parenting was to get the child to face his fears, but for now, Dazai decided to hold him. With all the stress he was probably feeling, that was likely best.

"So, there's going to be a lot to explain to everyone. Kunikida won't be happy that I gave our unoccupied dorm to someone without telling them," Dazai said to Kyouka. "It should be okay though. Regardless of whether or not you actually join the Agency, I have a job for you." He gestured to Atsushi, who clung loosely. Dazai mentally noted that he was relatively calm, so all seemed to be going well. "For a good amount of the time, I want you to watch him."

"Huh?" Atsushi winced. Kyouka didn't make a sound, she just nodded.

Dazai turned back to the child in his arms. "She's good at fighting. Kyouka's going to help." He looked at Kyouka. "With the Guild after him, a little extra protection would be helpful."

"Guild?" Atsushi squeaked, not understanding.

"The people who paid the Mafia to get you the first time," Dazai summarized. He ran hand through Atsushi's hair, and Atsushi reached up to get Dazai to stop. "That's it. I might have you stay with him. Just keep him safe."

It took five days. Five days for Atsushi to trust Kyouka.

Day 1:

Since Dazai was not oblivious to Atsushi uneasiness around Kyouka, they started small. He brought the girl into his apartment, and let them attempt to talk. It wasn't easy since Kyouka wasn't much of a talker and Atsushi was too nervous to say anything, but he let Dazai leave the room for a few minutes. Something he considered progress.

Day 2:

Dazai had a lot of explaining to do. Both Kyouka and Atsushi were in the office, which brought a lot of questions. In all of the excitement, Dazai asked Kyouka to take Atsushi back to the dorm. After some protest, he went with her. Not much happened after that. Dazai came home to Kyouka cooking dinner and Atsushi flipping through a picture book.

Day 3:

Much to Kunikida's joy, Dazai was actually doing all the paperwork in front of him. He focused on it for a deeper reason however. Atsushi was tugging on his sleeve, asking him to read one of his more challenging picture books to him. "Sorry, Atsushi. I can't," he muttered, signing his name on another form. "Ask Kyouka." Atsushi frowned, but went to ask the girl anyway. Dazai found them still reading long after he finished his work.

Day 4:

They just needed some more food, so just because he felt like it, he brought both children to the grocery store. Kyouka and Atsushi didn't leave the store, but they wandered off - probably to the candy aisle. When they made their way back to Dazai, Atsushi was clinging to Kyouka's shoulders, happily riding on her back. Of course, he asked if he could switch to Dazai's shoulders after a few minutes of him examining the height difference. Kyouka didn't seem offended.

Day 5:

It'd been a long day. Dazai had returned home with blood stains on his clothes. When he'd received the file for that day's job, he had told Kyouka he'd be home late and requested that she'd put Atsushi to bed.

When he stepped through the door, he was greeted by an interesting sight. Kyouka sat on the floor, a great white tiger's head resting on her lap. The room was quiet, the only sound was Kyouka and the beast's combined breathing.

"Huh," Dazai began. Kyouka turned to him. "That's surprising. How did tonight go?"

The girl eyed his bloodied clothes, but didn't say anything about it. She'd learned that the Agency avoided killing, so "It went well. He transformed hours ago. Said that he could turn into a tiger, tried to, and succeeded."

Dazai glanced out the window. It wasn't a full moon, but given that the smallest sliver of moonlight shone in the room, Atsushi could have transformed. Control should have been far beyond his reach. "He didn't go wild and try to attack?"

Kyouka shook her head, and stroked the contented tiger's head. "I thought he would, but he was pretty docile."

Dazai hummed slightly. "The tiger has a mind of his own, but more or less, I think he and Atsushi share… It's still uncertain." He walked over and lightly touched the tiger's head, squinting in the light of his his ability reverting Atsushi to his original state.

The child murmured something in his sleep, but otherwise didn't stir. His eyes travelled to Kyouka. "You've been doing well," he said when he sensed a need for encouragement. "Only been five days and he likes you so much that the tiger trusts you."

Kyouka's cheeks reddened. She was not used to such high praise.

Dazai smiled, "You're fitting in here just fine."

 **Tada! So, Kyouka is in the Agency (not 100% officially... Is an** **entrance exam for her something people want for this story?)**

 **Wow... Cannot believe this fanfic made it this far. Special thanks to all your support! Please review! If you have anything you really want me to write for this, I'm open to suggestions! (For all requests regarding Chuuya, trust me, I'm planning that chapter out.)**

 **Bye!**


	23. Sick

**Hello! Sorry for taking so long to** **get this written. Anatomy class has been getting harder, and being a Nursing major will only get harder, so I think I should just get used to the work load now.**

 **So, anyway, here it is! New chapter!**

 _A few weeks before, Neko had gotten sick. Atsushi didn't take it well. The fish didn't die or anything, he just laid on the decorative stones of his aquarium. His bright colors were dulled. Atsushi traced his finger along the surface of the tank, waiting for his fish to follow. He didn't._

" _Dazai," Atsushi whined, tackling Dazai's sleeping form._

" _I'm up," Dazai grumbled, hardly coherent. He sat up and tried to get Atsushi off of him. "What is it?" he asked, dragging a hand down his face, trying to wake himself up. He'd been hoping to get an extra hour of sleep._

" _Neko's not moving."_

 _For the moment, that didn't seem like much of a reason for Dazai to get up. He was tempted to tell Atsushi that he'd get to it later and stay down, but the child was looking at him with big, tear filled eyes. Chances were, he wasn't going to stop asking until Dazai did something about it._

" _Okay, calm down. I'm getting up."_

 _Atsushi reached his arms around Dazai's neck and hung off of him, clinging to his back as he stood up. "Is he okay?" Atsushi asked when Dazai squinted at Neko's ill form at the bottom of the tank._

 _The fish looked terrible. His colors were dull, he rested at the bottom of the tank, and his fins hung limply from his body. His gills still moved, so that was enough indication that he was alive. Dazai shrugged. "I think he's just sick."_

" _Can Yosano take care of him?" Atsushi tugged on Dazai's shirt._

" _No, she's a human doctor. She doesn't know how to heal a fish." He felt Atsushi climb a little higher on his shoulders. He was still at that very clingy stage after coming home from being captured by the Port Mafia. Dazai got up and went to his laptop. "There's probably a medicine for him at the pet shop. Let's look up what he has, then we'll go get some medicine." Atsushi nodded seriously, hugging Dazai's neck and resting his head against his shoulder._

Dazai remembered how Neko looked that day.

And now, Atsushi looked like how Neko did that day, drained of color and limp on the ground. He slept through Dazai getting out of bed and taking a shower.

"Atsushi," Dazai said, lightly tapping his cheek. He blinked and pressed a hand to Atsushi's forehead. He was burning up. The child squirmed at the touch, but pressed into the coolness of Dazai's fingers. He moaned and curled up tighter. "Atsushi, how are you feeling?"

"Bad," he muttered. He clutched his stomach and whimpered. Dazai carded a hand through Atsushi's hair as the child drew closer to him. He clamped a hand over his mouth and curled in on himself.

"Do you feel like you're going to throw up?" Dazai asked. Atsushi's pale face turned red as he nodded. Dazai had to rush to get the waste basket. He smoothed the child's hair back as Atsushi's small body hunched over the garbage can and heaved up whatever he had in his stomach, which wasn't much considering how he hadn't even gotten to eat breakfast that morning.

The boy's eyes were watering. He sniffed, wiping his eyes with his forearm. "I'm sorry," Atsushi mumbled, shuddering and trembling. He curled in on himself like he was afraid of some sort of punishment. "I'm sorry…"

Dazai suppressed a sigh. Atsushi had a general understanding that Dazai wouldn't lash out at him, but there were times that he seemed to be afraid that the man or anyone else in the Armed Detective Agency would lose patience and hurt him. The Agency agreed that it was more or less of a conditioned response to certain circumstances. Being sick, Dazai guessed, was one of those circumstances.

He swayed a little like being hunched over was a challenge on its own. Dazai slipped his hands under Atsushi's arms and pulled him backward gently. The child didn't struggle, he was probably too weak to move too much. He curled up tighter. "It's not your fault, everyone gets sick," Dazai said softly. He pushed a hand under Atsushi's uneven bangs, trying to determine how bad the fever was. "You have a fever. Can you tell me what hurts?"

It took a moment for Atsushi to answer. "My tummy… My head… My phalanges…"

Dazai took his hand off Atsushi's forehead. "Phalanges?" How many six year olds knew a word like _phalanges?_ "Did Yosano teach you the bones?" Atsushi nodded before reaching for Dazai's hand and making him lay it against his burning forehead again.

"Your hands are cold…"

"Atsushi," Dazai said, still letting his hand rest on Atsushi's head. "I need get up for a little bit to call the Agency."

"Why?"

"Because we need to stay here for today. I have to tell them."

"Why?" Atsushi moaned, leaning against Dazai.

"It's the responsible thing to do."

"Kunikida says you aren't responsible…"

Dazai's lips quirked up a little. "Of course he did," he muttered. "Well, he's wrong. I'm very responsible." Atsushi curled up a little more, and tightened his grip on Dazai's fingers. "Atsushi, I need you to just stay on the futon for a little while. I'm not leaving the room."

"Carry me," Atsushi murmured.

"Will that make you sick?" Dazai questioned. Atsushi shook his head, even though the simple action seemed to tire him. "Okay, but you have to tell me if you feel like you'll throw up again." He made his voice firm enough to sound stearn.

"Okay."

Dazai smoothly lifted Atsushi up and held him securely. He closed his eyes and rested his head on Dazai's shoulder. He looked like he'd be content to sleep right there. Dazai ruffled his silverish hair before grabbing his phone to call the Agency and explaining the situation. Then, he punched in a few more numbers to call the doctor.

"You still feeling okay, Atsushi?"

"Yeah," Atsushi mumbled back weakly.

Atsushi knew that asking for Dazai to carry him was unreasonable, he knew that it was childish and needy to cling to the man in such a way, but he couldn't help himself. He couldn't fight his fascination with being held.

In the orphanage, he'd get yelled at if he threw up. The headmaster would get angry at him. His voice would ring out, painfully bouncing around Atsushi's head. He'd curl up, feel a heavy strike somewhere on his head, shoulder, back, or stomach. One of the caretakers would give him food and medicine, and leave him alone. That was all. No one held him. No one comforted him.

He nearly fell asleep against Dazai's shoulder. "Atsushi," he said when he'd finished his phone calls. Dazai patted him on the back when he didn't respond. "Do you want to eat anything?"

Atsushi shook his head silently. His stomach was still off. He could tell that if he ate something, it wouldn't stay down.

"Huh," Dazai muttered quietly. "Either way, we don't have much that would be easy on your stomach." He slowly got back to the futon and sat down, still holding Atsushi since he could feel the boy's little hands still clinging to his shirt. "Doctor Yosano will get here in a little bit to see what you have." Atsushi nodded and still leaned against Dazai. "Can you stay awake until she gets here? After she leaves, you can go back to sleep, okay?"

Atsushi's arms got tired from hanging onto Dazai for so long, but he gritted his teeth and kept his hold on Dazai as well as he could. It didn't last long, he hardly had any energy. It could have been the fever affecting his mood, but he was scared. Scared that Dazai might disappear again, scared that he'd leave him to get better on his own like they had at the orphanage. When his arms became too fatigued to keep holding on, Dazai didn't put him down and walk away.

"Can you stay awake for a little longer?" Dazai's voice said when Atsushi's eyes began to close and his head rested more heavily on the man's shoulder. He flinched suddenly at the broken silence, but relaxed when he remembered where he was.

"Okay," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. It was easier said than done, and even the child knew it. His vision shifted from sharp to blurry and back again.

"Yeah," Yosano said as she looked at the thermometer reading. "He's got a fever." She cleaned it off with rubbing alcohol and took Atsushi's vitals. Atsushi clutched his head and curled in on himself for at least the third time that day. Another headache. "Nothing too bad," she said, handing Dazai a prescription. "Give him the medicine soon and he'll be back to normal in a day or so." She put her hand on Atsushi's forehead, letting him lean into her touch for a minute.

"Can you use your ability and make it go away?" Atsushi asked when the pain in his head passed.

The doctor looked at Dazai. " _You never told him, did you?"_ She mouthed silently.

" _Never got around to it."_

Atsushi looked up at them wearily. He sensed the silent communication between them. "Why not?" he asked, understanding that there was something they were less than willing to tell him.

"Her ability only works on people older than thirteen," Dazai said quickly. Yosano raised an eyebrow at him, twisting her mouth into a disapproving scowl. " _If you want to tell him about the way you dissect people, be my guest,"_ he mouthed in response. Yosano clicked her tongue in annoyance and coaxed Atsushi to lay down.

"I want you to try to sleep today," she instructed, pulling a blanket over Atsushi's body. He squirmed out from under it, not liking the heat.

"It's too hot," he muttered, settling himself on top of the blanket. He curled up in a ball like a tired cat. His eyes remained open and exhausted. "I'm really tired," he whispered, tugging on Dazai's fingers weakly.

"I know, Atsushi," Dazai said, letting his hand rest against the child's head. "Try to sleep like the doctor told you to, okay?"

A nod.

"I'll go pick up the medicine for you," Yosano volunteered as her phone rang. Atsushi flinched at the noise. The doctor bit her tongue to keep from cursing in front of him. "Hello?" She responded in a soft voice to keep the pounding in Atsushi's head to a minimum. "Understood. I'll be right there."

"Emergency?" Dazai questioned.

"Port Mafia bombing," she answered, gathering her things and rising to leave. "If it's that lemon idiot again, I swear I'll-"

Atsushi never heard the rest of that statement. Dazai covered his ears before he could process what the doctor was staying. He squirmed against Dazai's hands, which uncomfortably compressed his already throbbing head. Yosano had left by the time the man released him.

"That really hurt," Atsushi muttered, glaring at Dazai. He curled up a little tighter.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Dazai said, laying the back of his hand on Atsushi's head, and frowning at how feverish he was. "You're too young to hear the words she used." The child seemed too tired to stay cross with Dazai, and promptly closed his eyes.

He was passing in and out of consciousness. One moment he was clutched his stomach and crying. The next, he blinking as something cold and soothing was being placed on his head. The next he was trying to ignore how hungry he was. In another moment, his world was dark, blank, and quiet.

Atsushi hardly knew that he'd fallen asleep, but he must have because he woke up. The sky indicated noon, and Kyouka sat at his side. She had a dead serious look in her eye like she was prepared to take action in case Atsushi stopped breathing. Probably because she was ready for that.

"Where's Dazai?" Atsushi asked, glancing at the waste basket by his pillow in case he needed to throw up again.

"He went to get medicine and food that you can eat," she responded, replacing the cloth on his head with a cooler one. "How are you feeling?" She brushed his bangs to the side.

He responded with a tired whimper, but managed to sit up. The room spun and he leaned over his garbage can. Atsushi blinked, feeling nothing rising, and slowly backed away from it. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, trying to ignore the fog in his brain. Kyouka's hand came to rest on his forehead.

"You're still feverish," she said softly.

Atsushi nodded as though the statement meant something to him. He was too tired to care. "When is Dazai getting back?" he asked with all the urgency he could muster.

"Soon," Kyouka replied gently. She ran her fingers through Atsushi's hair. He accepted the cool, soft touch of her hands. He leaned closer to Kyouka, his eyes beginning to close.

Kyouka didn't ask permission or give much warning. She reached for him and pulled him into her lap. Atsushi didn't mind, his head fell against her shoulder.

"You're going to get sick," he muttered, though he didn't want her to put him down. He curled up with his head resting on her clavicle.

"It's fine," Kyouka said softly. "I have a strong immunity system." Atsushi wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he nodded and let himself relax in her arms.

It was an unspoken communication between the two of them. Atsushi wanted to be held, he liked the feeling of safety. Kyouka was young enough to understand perfectly. She'd been held by her mother when she was sick, and now she doubted she'd be held like that again. At least… At least now, she could offer someone else the kind of comfort she longed for. She rocked him back and forward slowly as if he were an infant to lull into sleep.

 **Wow... That one felt like a lot. That one took me a long time to write. Figuring it out took a little while. I** **originally** **thought about having Yosano be gone at a medical conference, but this is just how it panned out. I just really wanted to write a fluff chapter.**

 **So, yeah...**

 **Please comment!**


	24. Lost

**Responses**

 **TheSilverHunt3r: Yeah... I may or may not have written that when I was half asleep when I wrote that chapter. =D I'm glad that conversation between Yosano and Dazai was entertaining.**

 **jilnachtaugen: I'm back again! Dazai has to preserve his innocence... Always preserve the innocence.**

 **Guest: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter! I'm so happy you're enjoying this.**

 **Daughter of Trickery: Thanks. =)**

 **Guest: Thank you so much! I'm continuing!**

 **Guest: Of course! My ao3 story is slightly later because I'm more or less in the process of catching up on there. I'm not the most timely person. =P Thank you!**

 **Dragon77: Thank you! I feel like Atsushi always needs a hug. Making him sick was surprisingly fun. Anything with him and Dazai bonding makes me happy.**

 **Fierza-Ryanna: Kyouka is still 14 years old. I'm pretty much keeping everyone the same age aside from Atsushi.**

 **Hej! (That spelling was completely intentional. It's Swedish.)**

 **It has been a LONG time! And for that I apologize. Finals week and moving out of the dorm were insane! I've been on this whole writing binge lately (As you can probably see from all the new fanfictions.) I wanted to post this on the first day of July, but... *shrug* meh. I just want the stories and chapters out.**

 **So, here it is!**

The agency didn't have many busy days, but there was always an exception. To be clear, the occasional busy day was no problem to the detectives. Kunikida would argue that it kept them sharp.

"Please," Atsushi said, his eyes wide and desperate. "Please can I come with?"

Dazai sighed as the child begged him with puppy dog eyes. "Atsushi, I told you, you can stay here Haruno and Yosano will still be here. So will all the office staff."

Atsushi lowered his head and muttered something incomprehensible about Kyouka and Naomi.

"I know you like it when they hang out with you, but both of them are sick right now."

That comment made Atsushi bite his lip guiltily. He didn't quite understand illnesses, but he could put together that Kyouka had caught whatever he'd had a few days before. She'd been kneeling by the toilet when they'd checked on her the previous morning.

"It's not your fault," Dazai sighed. "There's something going around."

"Can I come with?" Atsushi asked again.

"No."

"You used to let me come with you."

"That was before you got kidnapped by the Mafia and before Kyouka joined."

Atsushi pouted. "But the Mafia took me when I was here."

Dazai raised an eyebrow, a bit impressed with Atsushi for making that point. He shook his head. "Yosano's here. You like her, right?" He watched as the child slowly nodded, but in the moment he got to his feet, the doctor rushed out the door. "That can't be good," he mumbled, pulling out his phone to see the text she sent.

 _Huge car crash. Casualties. Can't miss this._

Then:

 _Can't take Atsushi. Sorry. =_ P

"That emoji was less than necessary," Dazai said under his breath. He weighed out the options in his head. Leaving Atsushi with Kyouka seemed unfair to Kyouka… Plus, Atsushi could get sick again, and while that would give Dazai an excuse to take off work again, the child probably didn't want to be heaving into a bucket again. There was no one gifted at the Agency. Anyone with a combat ability had a mission.

Taking Atsushi with him seemed to be the best option. "Guess I have to take you with," he said sighing.

Atsushi smiled.

"Stop looking so happy about this," Dazai said jokingly, ruffling Atsushi's hair. "This is supposed to be a serious mission."

"Right," Atsushi replied, taking Dazai seriously, and furrowing his brows. He failed to muster a convincing serious face.

"You're trying, and that is what's important. Let's go."

Atsushi could hardly remember the last time he'd been on a train. He normally stayed within a certain radius of the agency. If Dazai wanted to take his somewhere out of that range, he got a ride from Kunikida. He remembered bits and pieces of the train, he'd fallen asleep against Dazai's arm, exhausted and drained from a beating earlier that day.

"Are we going on a train?" He asked excitedly.

"Not today, Atsushi."

"Then _what_ are we doing?"

Dazai paused to sit down on a bench, more so he could look Atsushi in the eyes. "Do you understand why I don't take you on jobs as much now?"

"Because I can play with Kyouka?" Atsushi guessed.

"Well, that's part of it," Dazai muttered. "Missions like this can be dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt… or traumatized."

Atsushi tilted his head. "Tra...ma...tize...ed?" He attempted to repeat the word. It was a familiar word, but he never knew what it meant.

"It means something scares you so much that it stays with you." Dazai would have mentioned the mafia, but that seemed extreme, so he added: "Like how you saw that trailer for a scary movie and now you're scared of clowns."

"Oh."

"So, Atsushi," he began, rising and walking to the men's restroom with Atsushi following closely behind him. "I know it's not great, but I want you to stay in here." Atsushi gave him a disgusted look as Dazai gestured to the first stall.

"I want to go with you," he whined, sticking his lower lip out.

"I already told you it's too dangerous," Dazai said, narrowing his eyes. His voice wasn't sharp, but Atsushi could feel the urgency in it."If you're good, I'll buy you ice cream."

The promise of ice cream caused Atsushi to consider his options. He took a minute, but after going through the possibilities in his head, he decided to step backwards into the stall. He didn't stop glaring though.

"One more thing," Dazai whispered. "If anyone asks who you came with, you do not say the Armed Detective Agency or my name, okay?" Atsushi nodded. The whole agency had, at one point, made him memorize a list aliases to use if the situation arose. He understood that in public, Dazai was not called "Dazai" and he couldn't call his home the "Armed Detective Agency." He didn't totally comprehend why, but he didn't question it.

"When will you be back?" Atsushi asked as Dazai stepped out of the cell.

Dazai made an indecisive sound. "Hopefully just ten minutes about." He muttered for Atsushi to lock the door. The child obeyed. "Good." Dazai glanced through the space between the door and wall as Atsushi put the toilet lid down and seated himself. "I need you to stay in there until I get back." He took an _out of order_ sign from another stall door and stuck it on Atsushi's stall for good measure. "I'll be back in a little while."

Boredom set in after a few minutes. Atsushi generally didn't like small spaces and the fact that he was in a public bathroom did not help matters. He got fidgety. He paced the stall when no one else was in the bathroom. He was so bored that he failed to fear abduction. After Kyouka had joined the Armed Detective Agency, he'd gotten over his fears of Port Mafia to some extent. It just wasn't something that crossed his mind as much anymore.

He began to feel claustrophobic, and even more restless.

Atsushi tried to think back to the last time he'd come to Yokohama on a train. It seemed so long ago. He could feel the difference. He'd been rail thin then. Now, his bones were not so prominent under his skin, covered with healthy layers of muscle and adipose.

He squirmed on the toilet lid boredly.

 _What's outside?_ He thought. Dazai had rushed him, he haven't had enough time to look at everything. Curiosity pushed him to take a look. There'd been several shops and things to look at. Atsushi struggled with that. Dazai wanted him to stay put, but there was too much he wanted to see. It occurred to him that he his guardian wouldn't know he'd ever left if he was quick enough. He bit his lip as he unlocked the door. _I'll be really fast._ He told himself. _Then I'll come back._

He quietly slipped out of the stall and went to explore.

The building was well lit and bustling with activity. Atsushi gazed around, fascinated. Some people ran, others walked at a leisurely pace. They spoke with several different dialects and languages. Some carried heavy suitcases, and others traveled light. Atsushi glanced at a flight of stairs. _What could be up there?_ He thought, taking a step forward. He noted that he'd have to go back up the stairs to get back to where Dazai left him.

It almost looked the same as the downstairs had looked, save a few huge windows. He walked along the windows, staring at everything below, careful to avoid bumping into people. The high view of the city entranced him, and he stared down at it, climbing up to the next floor to see it from higher up. He leaned against the glass, feeling like he was falling forward, but enjoying the feeling.

Something slammed into him and he yelped, falling back on the floor. A dog, just a little bigger than him loomed over him. He whimpered as it's big,wet nose pressed against his cheek, and its tongue dripped on his face. Atsushi could only see big white teeth. His heart pounded against his sternum and his arms trembled as they rose to protect his face.

"Sorry," a woman's voice said, as the dog was pulled back. "Sorry. He likes to jump on people, and he got off his leash." Atsushi lowered his arms and sat up slowly. His eyes were still wide with fear. "Are you okay?" A woman with brunette hair and gray eyes used one hand to hold back her scary dog and extended the other to help Atsushi up.

Atsushi nodded, his mouth dry as he stared at the dogs that wagged its tail and strained against his owner's grip.

"Sit," she said to the dog. "Sit," she repeated in a firmer tone. The dog obeyed, and the woman scratched his head. "Do you want to pet him? I'll hold him so he can't jump on you."

Atsushi contemplated the question a bit before nervously reaching a hand out to the dog. It sniffed his hand, making him shy back a little. He swallowed and patted the dog's head quickly. It licked his hand as he pulled back, drawing a giggle from his lips. "He's nice," Atsushi said softly.

"Sweetie," the lady said gently, noticing now that Atsushi was alone. "Are your parents here?" Her eyes were full of concern. "Did you get lost?"

Atsushi felt his heart speed up with the anxiety of talking to her.

If she knew he'd wandered off, she'd take him back to Dazai. If she took him back to Dazai, Dazai would know he'd disobeyed his instructions and he'd be in trouble.

"Uhh… He's over there," he said less than coherently before darting in the opposite direction.

He made it a ways before checking to see he hadn't been followed by the lady with the dog. Atsushi panted, catching his breath after the run. Great. He'd escaped. Dazai would never have to know he'd disregarded instructions. Speaking of Dazai, it was about time to get back. He walked down the stairs and wandered around, trying to find the restroom. Which floor had that bathroom been on, again?

 _Umm… Uh-oh._ He thought, realizing he didn't know where he was.

The place was no longer fascinating and spectacular, but large and confusing and suddenly scary. Atsushi's stomach dropped as though he was on a roller coaster.

Dazai wasn't anywhere in sight. Where was he? Where was Atsushi? He couldn't even identify that much. Memories of the Port Mafia prison and Akutagawa flooded his head. _No, no, no, no…_ Panic set in. He shook slightly, feeling exposed, feeling vulnerable like someone could snatch him up without a problem.

He shuffled out of the open and crawled behind and beneath a bench. Atsushi curled up under the seat of the bench, hiding behind a pair of legs. He hadn't thought this through. He _really_ hadn't started with the end in mind. He was lost and there was nothing he could do but hide. If Atsushi moved much more, he could very easily get _more_ lost. Dazai would find him. He always found him in hide-and-seek, this place was basically a bigger playing field. Atsushi just had to wait. He trembled and sniffed, suddenly understanding the fear of being lost in crowd. _Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry…_

The legs in front of him shifted, and Atsushi froze. "The heck?" A rough voice said as a face framed by red hair appeared in front of him.

Chuuya looked at the weeping child under the bench. Who would just leave a kid there? The boy shrunk back under his piercing gaze. He had the eyes of a panicked animal, terrified of everything before him. "What are you doing there?" He asked roughly.

The child swallowed hard and mumbled something. Chuuya gave something between a groan and a sigh, making the child flinch. "Are you lost?" He asked in a tired voice.

The child fumbled his fingers and hesitated before answering. "Yes." His lower lip quivered and he curled up tighter. He looked about on the brink of tears.

Chuuya paused, unsure of what to do. He didn't like kids that much, he found it even more difficult if they cried. At the same time, it wasn't like he could just leave him there. Goodness knew who could easily pick him up and leave. Even to the Port Mafia executive, leaving a _child_ to fend for himself seemed wrong.

Chuuya exhaled slowly from his mouth. "Okay, okay. Stop crying and calm down. Do you want me to help you find your parents?"

The child's face brightened and he wiped away his tears. "Yes." He suddenly looked a lot cuter with his wide eyes and thrilled smile. He army crawled out from under the bench and stood before the mafioso.

 _His parents really need to teach him stranger danger…_ Chuuya thought. _He's concerningly trusting._

"Okay," Chuuya began seriously, pushing his hat back so he could more easily look the kid in the eyes. "Where did you last see your parents?"

The child squinted as though he was carefully piecing his words together in his head. "Ummm...My… d-dad was in the bathroom."

The way he said "dad" sounded off. It almost sounded like he wasn't used to using that word. Like it was even the first time he used the word at all. _Maybe he just got adopted or something like that._ Chuuya concluded mentally.

"Do you know which bathroom? This place has a lot of them."

The child's face fell as he looked down and mumbled. "I don't know…" For a second he looked like he would burst into tears again.

"Okay, okay," Chuuya said in the most gentle voice he could manage. "Don't cry, it's fine. We can still find him." The child sniffed again, trying to calm himself. Chuuya nodded when the kid blinked away the unshed tears in his eyes. "What's your name, kid?" He asked, feeling that calling the boy by his name would help him calm down in some way.

"Atsushi," the child answered quietly.

That made Chuuya pause. Where had he heard that name before? He shook off the question when Atsushi tilted his head questioningly at him. "Nice to meet you, Atsushi," he said, extending a hand for him to shake. "My name's Chuuya." Atsushi shook his hand, but he clearly had other matters on his mind. "Let's go find your dad now, 'kay?" The executive got up and gestured for the child to follow him. Atsushi followed a few steps behind him before darting forward to grasp his action caught Chuuya by surprise and he glanced at the child by his side. Atsushi looked up at him with trusting eyes. "So, what does he look like?"

Atsushi seemed to struggle with how to describe him. "He's umm… He's tall and he has brown hair and eyes. And he's really nice."

Chuuya sighed, and tried to pretend to keep a positive attitude. In reality, if the kid didn't find his guardian soon, Chuuya would likely drop him off at the security office and make a stealthy getaway without being noticed. The authorities could handle reuniting the child with his father from there. "Okay, that doesn't tell me too much, but we can keep looking."

They walked in silence for a little while. "Your hat is really cool," Atsushi said, pointing above Chuuya's head. He was probably just trying to fill the silence that had set in between them.

"You think so?" Chuuya asked, even though he fully knew how "cool" his hat was. "Thank you."

"Why are you wearing gloves?" Atsushi asked after another lull of silence.

"Because I feel like it."

"Okay."

Atsushi bit his lip and held onto Chuuya's hand tighter. There were so many people around and the population made him more nervous. He shuffled alongside the mafioso quietly. "I have a fish," he murmured, testing the waters, seeing if Chuuya would cut off the topic with a curt word.

Chuuya sighed quietly enough that Atsushi couldn't hear him. Hearing a child's incessant chatter wasn't what Chuuya wanted to do for awhile, but the boy was nervous. He just wanted to talk so he could calm down. "Really?" He forced some interest into his voice.

The child nodded enthusiastically. "His name is Neko. He's really fun."

He talked about his betta fish for a good ten minutes. Chuuya responded with "oh, really" or "that's cool" every few minutes.

The kid's feet were beginning to drag after a bit longer. "Are you tired?"

Atsushi shook his head stubbornly. "I'm not tired," he remarked determinedly.

Chuuya shrugged. "Okay, if you were I was going to let you on my shoulders."

That comment made Atsushi reconsider his statement. He squinted at Chuuya as if trying to gauge how much pride he'd have to swallow to admit that he was tired. His brow furrowed as he tried to weigh out his options. His intense thinking seemed to slow them down even more, and after another minute Chuuya lost his patience and picked him up.

"You slowed down a lot," he said when Atsushi squirmed a little in his arms. "This was faster."

"Okay," the child muttered as he let himself still. "I was a little tired," he added as an afterthought. "Only a little…"

"Oh, of course," Chuuya replied patronizingly. The child didn't pick up on his attitude.

He carried Atsushi for ten minutes, looking for the boy's father. He pointed out every man with brown hair and eyes that he spotted, asking is he was the man they were looking for. Every time, it wasn't him.

A low growl came from Atsushi. The child looked away as though it could be ignored. "You're hungry?" Chuuya asked, unamused.

"A little," Atsushi admitted timidly.

The mafioso sighed with mock exasperation. "Fine, I guess now's as good a time as any to eat something." Atsushi made a half hearted attempt to protest Chuuya using his money to get him food.

"You don't have to-" Atsushi began in a slight voice.

"Don't worry about it," he said sternly as he handed money to a food vendor. Atsushi didn't say anything more against it. He was too hungry to argue a snack, and he smiled widely as Chuuya pushed taiyaki into Atsushi's hands.

"Thank you."

"No problem," Chuuya said casually as Atsushi munched on his snack. "You can pay me back when you're all grown up and you have a job." He took a bite of his taiyaki before adding, "You're going to have to remember that, okay?" He took another bite before deciding he was done with the snack. It's not that it was bad, it just didn't hold a candle to his normal diet.

"Okay!"

"You ready to start looking for your dad again?" He asked when Atsushi finished his food. Chuuya paused to grab a napkin and wipe away the red bean filling that stuck to Atsushi's face. "How did you manage to get that everywhere?"

Atsushi scrunched up his face as Chuuya cleared the crumbs and sticky red bean paste from his chin and around his mouth. "I don't know," he muttered, squiriming under the napkin.

"Hold still," Chuuya ordered softly. "Your dad might not recognize you if your face is this messy." That comment made Atsushi go still. The scared look on his face almost made Chuuya feel bad about saying it. Almost. He quickly used the opportunity of Atsushi's petrified state to clean him up. "I was lying, by the way," he remarked as he tossed the napkin in the trash.

Atsushi pouted. "It's not nice to lie."

"I know," Chuuya said, shrugging.

Atsushi blinked, unsure of how to respond to Chuuya's blatant disregard for being nice. Chuuya had just bought him food, so he couldn't argue with him too much without sounding ingrateful, _and_ Chuuya was helping him find his "father." Both signs that pointed to him being nice. Atsushi pondered over that for a few minutes before letting it go.

They kept searching for another five minutes before Atsushi saw him. He squirmed excitedly in Chuuya's grasp. "I see him," he said happily. "Let me down."

Chuuya put him down, and let him run through the crowd. He'd watch, make sure the boy got to the right person, and then leave.

"Dazai!" Atsushi called.

Chuuya blinked. _Dazai?_ He thought, hardly processing what had happened. He looked in Atsushi's path and saw none other than the suicidal maniac. _Why does this sort of crap happen to me?_ He asked mentally.

Dazai smiled when he saw Atsushi coming toward him, but that smile was quickly replaced by a stern look. Before the child reached him, Dazai closed the gap. He grabbed Atsushi's hand, and gave him a slap on the wrist.

The boy stared at him, stunned. Dazai had never hit him before, and unless he was having a nervous episode, he'd never expected him to. The slap could hardly be called a slap. It didn't leave red marks, and Atsushi couldn't feel the painful tingling that accompanied every strike. He still looked at his guardian with large, tear-filled eyes.

"Atsushi," he began. "What did I tell you to do?"

Atsushi's shock disappeared and was replaced by guilt. His lower lip trembled. "You told me to stay…"

"And what did you do?" Dazai questioned pointedly. Atsushi didn't answer, he looked down culpably. "Atsushi, what did you?"

"I wandered off," he muttered in an almost inaudible voice.

"You wandered off!" He took a breath in, and gently placed his hands on the child's shoulders. "Atsushi, do you realize what could have happened to you? You could have gotten hit by a train or picked up by a shady individual." He glanced up from Atsushi's face. "And by the looks of it, the latter happened." He smiled and waved overenthusiastically. "Good to see you again, Chuuya!"

"WHAT THE HECK?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

Dazai took Atsushi's hand. "I don't think it's that hard to put together, Chuuya. You just helped a kid get back to his guardian. And I just so happen to be his guardian." He smirked. "Thanks!"

"When did you have a kid?" He glared at Dazai with fire in his eyes.

"You remember that model we met on that trip to Kyoto?"

"..."

"Well, do you?"

"Yes."

"..."

Chuuya glared. "So that's what you were doing when I got captured… You got her pregnant?!"

"What? No, I only saw her that one time. I was drowning in a hotel swimming pool." He smirked. "I just wanted to know if you remembered her. She has nothing to do with Atsushi."

Chuuya marched over to Dazai. "STOP MESSING WITH ME, IDIOT!" Atsushi winced at the suddenly harsh sound of Chuuya's voice. Chuuya noticed, and lowered his voice a bit. "Where did the boy come from?"

"An orphanage," Dazai said easily as he reached down to pick up Atsushi. "They were having a bit of a cat problem."

" _Cat_ problem?" Chuuya repeated, taking a moment to put everything together. "He's the tiger…"

"Bingo!" Dazai said in a sing song voice. "It's sweet that you helped him get back to me. I had no idea you were such a wonderful human being in your heart of hearts."

"Shut up," Chuuya said as calmly as he could since people were starting to stare. "I swear I'll see you dead some day." He turned on his heel to storm off since murdering the bandaged idiot would draw too much attention. (And killing him in front of the child would probably damage Atsushi's mental state beyond repair). He took a minute to look over his shoulder. "Don't wander off again, Kid," he called to Atsushi, ignoring the startled glances of bystanders.

"Okay, Chuuya!" Atsushi called back over Dazai's shoulder. Apparently, he hadn't been too shaken by the mafioso threatening the life of his guardian. _Well, Dazai probably gets threatened in front of him a lot._ Chuuya thought, shrugging. He'd get around to killing his old partner later, maybe when Atsushi was old enough to take care of himself… _But if he tells_ anyone _about today, I'll kill him ASAP!_ Chuuya amended mentally as he strode back to his bench.

"Dazai?"

"What?"

"Are you mad at me?"

Dazai put a hand on Atsushi's head and messed up his hair. "No, Atsushi. I'm not mad at you." He could hear the child heave a sigh of relief. "You didn't stay put, and you could have gotten hurt or understand that, right?"

"Yes," Atsushi responded in a small voice. Then, "I'm sorry."

"Okay," Dazai said as he let Atsushi up on his shoulders. "Just never do that again, understood?"

"'Kay."

A few moments of silence passed.

"Hey, Dazai, will we ever see Chuuya again?" Atsushi gripped Dazai's hair to keep himself steady. "He was really nice. He gave me taiyaki."

Dazai almost laughed at the very idea of Chuuya being "nice."

"Not intentionally," Dazai muttered. He considered it a little more and figured that he could always pop in and out of Chuuya's life with Atsushi to taunt him about what happened today. "Well, maybe…"Dazai reached up and patted Atsushi's shoulder. "It's good you're safe." The child cuddled in closer to him, murmuring something of affirmation. "You're getting heavy," Dazai remarked. "You'll be too old for this soon, you know."

Atsushi gripped onto Dazai's hair harder. "No," he replied with determination. "I'm not growing up. I'm gonna stay like this forever."

Dazai chuckled. "Of course you will."

 **He's at that age... Believing he'll never grow up. (Even if he does, he'll continue to be a precious cinnamon roll.**

 **Chuuya was surprisingly difficult to write. It's kind of funny when you think about it... The fandom is crazy about Chuuya, but he has so little screen time.**

 **I've been on a ridiculous writing binge these past few days. I posted like four new fanfictions. Some fluff, some angst, some Star Wars, and one that is basically like this fanfiction, but Akutagawa is the child. Feel free to check them out! =D**

 **Please review! Love you guys!**


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